History Speaks Louder Than Words
by BerryKibum
Summary: They've been friends for as long as they can remember, but one day everything changes. Kisuke can't deny that he feels something for her and when he confesses, she brushes him off and things seem to go back to normal. They both do stupid things along the way, Yoruichi watches as Kisuke develops into a formidable Soul Reaper. When will she realise that they're made for each other?
1. Joining Squad 2

**160 Years ago.**

"Lady Yoruichi, the new squad members have arrived. Are you ready to greet them?" The young Squad 2 member stood outside of Yoruichi's captain's quarters, looking every bit as inexperienced and nervous as he felt. After a long agonising moment, Yoruichi spoke,

"Don't worry Yamada; I'm on my way now." As she said this, Yoruichi slid open the paper door sectioning off her room and strolled out, it was obvious that she had only just awoken from sleep as her uniform was slightly rumpled and her hair stuck out in every direction. With a yawn, she proceeded towards the wing where the recruits were waiting.

Yamada shadowed her all the way to the welcome room and every time he glanced towards her during the journey, it seemed to him like she only became more and more radiant, her hair had suddenly found its way into a sleek hairstyle and her clothes looked fresh and new unlike the outfit she had worn just a few minutes before. He hadn't even seen her lift a finger but she had somehow made herself presentable never the less. Yoruichi noticed Yamada staring with a confused expression at her appearance and decided offered an explanation,

"I'm head of the Shihōin family and Captain of the Stealth Force, Yamada," she gave him a wide grin, showing off her sharp incisors, "there are a lot of things that I can do without you noticing."

With this, Yoruichi used flash step to disappear from beside him, only to reappear directly in front of him, kiss him on the cheek and return to his side as if nothing had occurred. This had all taken place within a mere second and as Yoruichi continued walking down the hall, Yamada was left frozen in place with his hand pressed softly to his cheek, completely speechless. He wasn't quite sure as to what had just happened because it had been so unbelievably _fast_.

By this time they had already reached their destination so Yamada bowed deeply, his fist pressed over his heart as a sign of respect, and slid open the door for Lady Yoruichi before hastily rushing off to his barracks to start with the day's chores. Yoruichi frowned after him, she wished that he would drop all of the annoying formal stuff, it made her feel guilty that she received special treatment just because of the noblewoman's blood coursing through her veins. Without further ado, she stepped into the room to greet the fresh recruits.

"Kisuke!?" She exclaimed shortly after lifting her head to look at her new subordinates, it was not often that she was caught off guard but this was one of those rare moments in action. Kisuke Urahara was probably the last person she had expected to see here, although the last time that she had seen him he had sworn to her that he was going to become the greatest soul reaper of all time.

Kisuke, herself and another friend named Tessai had often played together in the Shihōin mansion on hot summer days such as this one all those years ago, she hadn't been able to see either of them that much after her training to become the head of the clan had begun, and once she had gained membership as one of the soul reapers in Squad 2, she hadn't been able to see Tessai or Kisuke at all. That had been about 40 years ago.

"Ah Yoruichi, I heard that you were going to be my new captain, well this is going to be fun!" Kisuke said with a faint fond smile at the edges of his lips, the hair that fell messily over his eyes had obstructed his vision so he used his mouth to blow the strand away from his face, this was to no avail as it quickly settled back into its original place.

Yoruichi had recovered from the shock of seeing an old friend fairly quickly and now stood with her arms folded across her chest and had a cocky smile plastered upon her face.

"Well Kisuke, looks like I'm going to have a lot of fun training you!" She laughed whole-heartedly.

"Wait a second!" one of the other new members exclaimed, "You know each other? Ah man, he's probably going to get all the good jobs now if he's friends with the captain."

"Oh, quite the opposite actually," Yoruichi smiled devilishly at Kisuke, who scratched his head and looked rather sheepish, "you see, when we were kids we had a bet on who would become a captain faster, now he's got to fulfil his side of the deal."

"You still remember that? Oh jeez, looks like my life's gonna become a living hell for the next few years" Yoruichi ignored the comment but it was clear to Kisuke through the way that her eyes sparkled, that this was indeed true.

"You!" Yoruichi said instead, gesturing to the new recruit who had spoken out only a few moments ago.

"Y-yes ma'am" he stuttered, suddenly uncomfortable under the full force of her gaze.

"I don't want you ever saying stuff like that again, do you hear me? I never discriminate against people, especially for stupid reasons like already knowing them. Apologise to Kisuke immediately."

The new recruit just looked on at Yoruichi in bewilderment; he had not expected her to react so passionately. "Sorry!" he said.

"Good, now all of you, get to work; there are a lot of petals that need to be swept from the hallways, spring is ending people!"

Yoruichi hastily departed from the welcome room, leaving the five new Squad 2 members staring after her, with expressions varying from admiration, to shock, to annoyance. She didn't care though, they were all part of her Squad now and could think what they liked, as long as they stayed devoted to their jobs and never swayed from the path of fairness and honesty, it was alright with her. She vaguely recalled another Squad member going into the room which held Kisuke and the others and showing them to their quarters, but by that time she was already half way to the training grounds where she watched the more experienced members of the Stealth Force practice their finely tuned skills on one another.

_**I know it's a short chapter, but I prefer to have short chapters so the story keeps fresh. More soon!**_


	2. The Event That Changed It All

**155 Years ago.**

She could hear the clack of wooden clogs raining down the hallway even before she could sense his spiritual pressure, well that's not true, she could always sense his spiritual pressure no matter where he was, but that's how loud they seemed this early in the morning. The clacking only got louder and louder, it was obvious that Kisuke Urahara, 20th Seat of Squad 2, was running this way. Yoruichi had to slam the pillow she had just been resting on over her ears to block out the noise, she had been to a drinking party with her friends the night before and she may have had just a little bit too much Sake. It was too early in the morning for this!

"Yoruichi! It's time for my training!" Kisuke burst into the room, panting slightly from the running he had just done to get there, but when he looked around her room, all he could see was an empty futon and a discarded sleeping robe. He heard a noise coming from behind him and turned around, only to see a slender black cat with amber eyes treading along the railing that lined the hallway of the upper floors with perfect balance.

"Now now Yoruichi, you should've known that you couldn't fool me with that trick."

With this the cat audibly sighed and jumped down to the floor with all the killer grace of a panther, within seconds Yoruichi had transformed back into her human form, her clothes had been left behind when she changed from human to cat so she now stood in front of Kisuke completely naked.

"Jeez Kisuke, it's 7 o'clock on a Sunday morning, couldn't you at least give me a break for one day?"

Kisuke didn't really hear her words though, for he couldn't help but stare at her newly naked body. When Yoruichi had been learning to control her spiritual pressure when she was younger, she had learned this trick of converting from human to cat quite quickly and often played around in her feline form with himself and Tessai in their underground training centre, so of course he had seen her naked before. But this was different now, she had grown up and so had he, they were both fully formed adults now and over the years of their separation Kisuke had learned to appreciate the female body unlike he had when he was merely a child.

Her skin was a rich chocolate brown, the colour of thick golden syrup, her muscles moved underneath her skin perfectly, making every inch of her toned and smooth, her figure curved in all the right places and he realised with a shock that her usual clothes, although well-tailored to her body, did not do justice to what was underneath.

"Erm…Yoruichi, you do realise that you're naked right?" She looked down as if she had just realised this fact and she said,

"Oh, so I am!" She laughed as if it was the funniest thing in the world and the smile lit up her face, making her eyes sparkle, was different to the confident smile that she wore when she was fighting. Kisuke looked down; his cheeks became hot as he tried not to look at the glorious creature that was right in front of him.

"C-could you please put some clothes on now? So we can get going?" His voice cracked twice when he said this and Yoruichi laughed again at his awkwardness.

"Oh come now Kisuke, we're old friends, it's not like you haven't seen me naked before!"

"Yes…but that was a long time ago Yoruichi, you're a woman now and… I can see things!"

As she calmly strolled into her room to put some clothes on, she laughed again at how embarrassed Kisuke was acting. She found it comfortable to be without clothes, unlike most people, this way she could move totally unrestrained and feel the warm morning sun on every inch of her skin as she walked along the wooden floor.

When she returned from her room, which she hadn't even been bothered to close the door of, so Kisuke was able to see every teasing moment of her getting dressed, she linked arms with him and strolled down the hallway towards the field in which they trained together.

"Since when were you such a prude?" She said after a long stretch of meaningless small talk.

"Since never!" He said, pretending to be offended, "It's just that I was worried somebody might see us and think something scandalous was going on!"

"Riiiight, so it had nothing to do with the beautiful young woman standing before you, huh Kisuke?"

"I've seen naked women before Yoruichi…" He said this in a rather unsure way, his embarrassment showing again in the flare of red which had crept into his cheeks when he said this.

"Ok, if you say so old friend, we'll just get on with training then shall we?"

They had reached the training grounds by this time and, as Yoruichi often did, she asked that the spar without weapons and engage in hand to hand combat. Kisuke had been told by Yoruichi that he must not fight with a sword until he had learnt to fight without it, so if a time came in which he must fight without the help of a Zanpakuto, then he would be prepared. On one of the afternoons in which they fought hand to hand, he had asked her if there was another reason as to why he should learn to fight without his sword; she had told him that in this way, he would learn to appreciate the help that his sword would bring him in battle. He would not come to understand this until much further on in his training.

That day after the naked incident, training went exceptionally well, Kisuke ducked from Yoruichi's blows multiple times, although he did get hit a fair few times as well, and he even managed to secure a hit to her right shin during the course of the day, the morning's events practically forgotten as Kisuke revelled in the fact that he was honing in on his new found skills.

* * *

"Right new troops; are you ready for your first day of training?" Yoruichi said once all of the new members of her Squad 2, including Kisuke, had entered the training field. They had all shown expressions of excitement and eagerness but these had soon melted away within a few minutes, Yoruichi had thoroughly beaten each of the five guys at least three separate times throughout the morning and it had now come around to Kisuke's turn again.

"Kisuke Urahara! You're up next."

As soon as Kisuke reluctantly stepped onto the training mat, Yoruichi had used flash step to appear behind him and lock his arms in a vice grip so he couldn't wriggle free, he tried to kick her off from his compromised position but she had moved quickly away, taking his arms with her so he now had his arms pinned behind his back, he had to stand on his tip toes just to stop his arms from being ripped off. She let go of his arms suddenly so his staggered forward a few steps, he took this opportunity of freedom to run towards her with his hands balled up into fists, fully intending to knock her off of her feet. In an instant Yoruichi appeared right in front of him and he momentarily found himself slammed against the floor with his head snuggly fitting into a headlock. He was breathing heavily and his face was glistening with a fine coating of sweat even though they had only fought for about a minute.

"You've got a long way to go old friend," she whispered into his ear. She left him lying there on the floor where he stayed for a long while, thinking about her sharp cat like eyes that bore into his soul every time he looked at them. She made him feel strange and he didn't know why.

* * *

"You've come a long way since that day," Yoruichi said, smiling up into his face which was framed with scruffy ash blond hair, like it always was. He replayed the events of his first ever sparring session in his head and felt a sense of pride swell up in him when he thought of all he had achieved in the past five years, although he knew that he had gone so far, he wasn't expecting what Yoruichi said next.

"Kisuke, I think you're ready to train with a Zanpakuto."

_**The lines indicate flashbacks or perspective changes.**_


	3. Into Deep Thought

**155 Years ago.**

"Kisuke, there's a seat over here!" a man called from across the room, Kisuke had just entered the sake bar after a long day's work and it was clear on his face that he was tired. Spotting his friend who had just called over to him, he made his way to the vacant seat where he plonked himself down and let out a heavy sigh.

"Hey man," Kisuke said.

"Hey…are you alright? You seem pretty worn out," the man said, he was concerned for Kisuke because he seemed to be getting exhausted frequently in the recent weeks. As if to confirm this fact, he let out a giant yawn and seemed to slump even further into his seat. Seeing the cup of sake in front of him, Kisuke picked it up and chugged the whole glass before pouring himself another one.

"I am pretty tired, but after five years of intense hand-to-hand sparring, Yoruichi's finally letting me work with a Zanpakuto." He smiled at his friend to reassure him that he was alright, but the fact of the matter was that his training was not the thing that was on his mind. He couldn't stop thinking about what happened with Yoruichi that morning; she'd been so unashamed even though she was completely naked in front of him. He kept thinking that, if it hadn't bothered her, then it shouldn't have bothered him, but for some reason every time he imagined it, his palms would go moist and his head would spin.

"Well, that's a good thing right? So why do you look so down?" His friend's words snapped him out of his reverie and forced him to focus his attention on the here and now.

"I don't think I even know anymore man, you know what? I thought coming out tonight would help me relax, but I'm not too sure anymore, I think I'm just gonna head back to my room." Kisuke stood up, lightly knocking the table as he did so, and the now empty sake cups toppled over due to the jolt.

"Hey! Are you really sure you're ok? You've been acting really strange lately"

"Don't worry about me, I'm fine!" He said this in the middle of slipping on his shoes and without turning back, paced out of the room, his words sounded false even to his own ears.

That night when he got home, Kisuke couldn't sleep. He was extremely exhausted from working so hard on his Soul Reaper training, although he had attended the Soul Reaper Academy and completed his training , therefore having already fought using a Zanpakuto, it seemed like getting approval off Yoruichi to use one was so much more of a greater achievement. So he had worked hard for so long and he'd finally got what he wanted today, so why did he feel so lost?

**The morning after.**

Yoruichi woke up peacefully that day, Kisuke usually came into her room to get her up well before sunrise, but today he hadn't come. When she asked around a little later on in the day, other members of the Squad had said that he went to his room last night looking terrible and hadn't come out since. She'd have to make time to go and see him today , Yoruichi thought.

Sometime later that day during Yoruichi's regular duties, a hell butterfly appeared before her, fluttering down softly until it landed on the bare skin of her arm, it served in informing her that there was to be a Captain's meeting in half an hour and all Squad captains were to attend. She had just been on her way to visit Kisuke; to see if he was alright, but it looked like that was going to have to be put on hold for now. When she did arrive at the meeting, only 5 other captains had made it to the captain room and Head Captain Yammamoto looked, to say the least, pissed.

"I do believe that I made it quite clear that I expected you _all _here at half past five, this is important," Yammamoto said, quite exasperated. Yoruichi found this quite strange as the Captain Commander rarely lost his cool except in times of emergency. Sorry Kisuke, she thought, I'm not going to be getting out of here in a while.

Once everyone had entered the room, the captain's meeting commenced and before long the sun had slipped underneath the horizon and night had fallen. From the looks of it, Squad 2, along with the other Squads of the 13 Court Guard Squads, would be very busy in the days to come. There had been an unusual increase in hollow attacks in the world of the living for the past few weeks and many souls had fallen victim to their hunger. Squad 2 had been ordered to send forces to the world of the living to relieve the troops already stationed there with the defence of regular souls.

As soon as the large doors sealing off the Captain's room opened at the end of the meeting, Yoruichi hastened out of the room along with the other stressed looking Captains and once she was out of the room, she used flash step to make it to Kisuke's room. She had grown increasingly worried about him over the course of the day as he hadn't reported in for duty all day. He hadn't even come to their special training grounds today, even though he'd been so enthusiastic for all of the years that he had been with Squad 2.

* * *

Yoruichi had been his best friend for as long as Kisuke could remember, he could always tell her what he was thinking; both the good and the bad things, he even told her things that she might not like to hear, just so there wouldn't be any secrets between them and he could be completely open with her. That's why it was surprising to him that he had found something he just couldn't bring himself to tell her. Throughout all of their childhood and the five years of training that they had gone through, Kisuke had never been happier; they got on amazingly well, they liked the same things and there was never a time where they didn't have something to talk about.

Life was uncomplicated back then. But then she had to go and fucking shape shift in front of me, he thought.

Of course he'd realised that she was pretty, that they got on perfectly well and sometimes the light would fall upon her face and it would take his breath away. But stupidly, he'd never thought of her in _that _way before now.

A full day of sitting in his room and a gallon of sake had helped him to fully realise his true feelings for Yoruichi, seeing her naked had snapped something inside of him and after all this time he realised just why his heart sped up every time she came near him, why his hands would turn clammy every time she brushed his skin with hers or why he had missed her so agonisingly in the time that they had been apart. He had only now admitted to himself that he was in love with his best friend. And he couldn't tell her a thing. Just then he heard footsteps coming down the hallway, she wasn't even bothering to disguise her spiritual pressure.

"Kiiiisuke!" Yoruichi said as she opened the door and entered his room. He didn't know if he could face her anymore.


	4. Seen In A Different Light

**155 years ago.**

When Yoruichi entered the room it seemed as if the overwhelming air of depression and darkness coming from inside actually sucked out the light comparatively brighter hallway, dirty clothes and sake bottles tumbled out into the path and she had to flash step over the mess on the floor just so she could reach Kisuke. He lay on the floor, still in the in same shihakusho which he wore a few days ago at training, it was tied loosely at the middle, causing the fabric to gape slightly and reveal some of his chest and he looked as if he hadn't bathed in a while either. Kisuke had a book open and resting upon his face but Yoruichi could tell that he wasn't asleep like he wanted her to believe.

She waited for him to be the first one to speak but when he didn't she decided to sit on the floor next to him and hope that he would tell her what was bothering him in his own time instead of her trying to get him to talk. She poured herself a cup of sake from one of the half empty bottles she found scattered around the place; she intended to let him know that she wasn't going to leave anytime soon. Finally, after about twenty minutes of heavy silence, he spoke,

"Have you ever noticed those kids in school, the ones who sit at the back in maths class and fall behind because they just can't solve the problems? They've had it explained to them over and over again but they still feel that something isn't quite clicking. Then one day, something snaps inside of them and they see everything in a totally different light, even though it's been right in front of them the whole time."

She'd never seen Kisuke use a metaphor to explain anything before, he would always say what he meant outright, even when he'd just joined the Squad and still seemed very unsure and nervous. During his speech the book had fallen from his face and he had turned to look at her, though what he was saying didn't make any sense to her, the more he talked, the more emotion flared up in his eyes, so Yoruichi tried her best to comfort him.

"I'm not sure what's going on here Kisuke, but it's obvious that something's eating you. You know you can always talk to me about anything right?" When he didn't speak she continued, "Through all these years there have been many times when you've felt worn out and on the verge of a meltdown because of the training, but not once did in that time did you ever miss a session. Whatever it is that's wrong, it shouldn't affect your training and it certainly shouldn't affect your dreams, so I expect you in front of my room tomorrow morning at sunrise for training as usual."

She quickly finished her drink and handed the bottle back to Kisuke, who reeked of alcohol already, and calmly walked out of the room. She expected him to call out to her and tell her to stay, and then he would tell her everything like always, but he just lay there and watched her as she left with a really weird expression on his face. She didn't know what was going on with him, but it hurt that he suddenly felt that he couldn't trust her.

**The next morning.**

He really didn't want to go to training today, but he found himself going anyway. During the time that Kisuke had spent in his room he had concluded that he did in fact love Yoruichi. It sucked for him that when he had finally convinced himself that he only felt this way because of what he saw that day, she had to come walking into his room and undo all doubts that he had about his feelings. He'd said way more than he should have to her and even though Kisuke knew that what he said wouldn't make sense to her, it was exactly how he felt and he _had_ to say something because although these feelings were new and strange, it was even stranger not being able to tell Yoruichi what was going on in his head.

Surprisingly, Yoruichi was already outside and waiting when he reached her room, and before he could even tell her good morning, she had quickly tied a blind fold around his eyes so he couldn't see where they were going. They were flying through the air in a matter of seconds, Kisuke had been flung over her shoulder and without a pause she proceeded to sprint towards a location that was too far away to be their regular training grounds.

Within a few minutes Yoruichi stopped running and dropped him to the floor, which he could feel was dirt. He went to remove the blind fold but was stopped firmly by a soft pair of hand.

"No, Kisuke Urahara, for today's first session you will be training completely blind-folded!"

A hard, solid object was thrust into his outstretched hands and almost instantaneously he recognised what it was.

"My Zanpakuto!" He said excitedly, having been reunited with his sword after five years, "so does this mean you'll be fighting with one too Yoruichi?" He was intrigued by this idea as, even though he had been on a few trips to the world of the living with her, he had never seen her fight with a weapon.

"It most certainly does not, I rarely fight with a Zanpakuto, and besides, it isn't the actual sword that makes a good fighter, it's how he holds himself and lets the weapon flow as though he and the sword are one. Now, I want you to try and cut me."

Knowing Yoruichi so well, he realised that even though the request seemed impossible when he was blind-folded, he must attempt to do it anyway. He quickly thrust his sword into the open air in front of him in the hopes of making a hit.

"Not like that! Spread your legs further apart, your stance is unsteady!"

When he did this and swung again, the sword instantly felt twice as deadly and he was sure that this time he would be able to make a connection, if only a small one. To his surprise, he missed completely again and became unbalanced, suddenly finding it hard to establish his footing on the dirt floor. Yoruichi's leg seemed to come out of nowhere and strike him in the lower back, sending him skidding across the floor and send a dozen rocks or so clattering against the earth. They made a faint sound which reverberated of a wall and created an echo. Kisuke had noticed something else abnormal before when they first arrived at this space, it was a few degrees warmer than outside which indicated that they were either inside a room or low in the ground somewhere, the dirt floor indicated the latter and when he removed his blind fold he wasn't surprised when he found himself in the old underground training room that he built all those years ago when Yoruichi and himself were kids.

"Tadah!" Yoruichi said as she smiled and looked around the cavern, the place that was once a second home to them both, "I thought that you could use a little cheering up."


	5. Realisation on Sokyoku hill

**155 Years ago.**

* * *

"Wow Kisuke! You really built this place all by yourself?" Yoruichi said as she explored the place by running around the giant underground training room and climbing on the rocky out crops. She was getting the expensive kimono that she wore dirty, but she didn't seem to care.

"I did! Tessai helped me a little by installing the step ladder that brought us down here, but I did the rest" Kisuke said proudly as he looked around the large cavernous space that would become their new playing area.

Yoruichi was part of one of the four noble houses and although her parents were generous and allowed her associate with commoners such as himself and Tessai, she would soon have to start a rigorous training regime in order to become the leader of the Shihōin clan and the Captain of the Stealth Force. They needed a place where they could be their selves without being told what to do by the ever present coaches that were paid to keep a constant watch on Yoruichi.

"Hey, you know what we should do? We should have a party down here tonight!" she said excitedly. When Kisuke didn't reply straight away, Yoruichi continued, "Oh, we don't have to if you don't want to, it was just a suggestion." She frowned down at the floor because she had somehow upset him, which she hated to do.

"It's not that, it's just that I built this place especially for you, me and Tessai. We could have one somewhere else if you'd like," Kisuke suggested.

"I've got a better idea! We three could have a party down here on our own; we don't need all those other kids. They're only friends with me because of my family ties anyway." Yoruichi scowled at the thought of all of those other kids whose parents forced them to play with her, but while she sulked, Kisuke started to laugh. She continued to scowl as she walked over to where he was standing and shoved him to the floor in exasperation. He continued to laugh.

"What's so funny?!"

"Nothing it's just," he had to stop talking to laugh again but then continued, "you pull the funniest faces when you're sulking!"

"Oh, I'm funny am I?" Yoruichi proceeded to chase Kisuke around the training room and before long they were both laughing on the floor, breathless from all of the running around. Kisuke turned to look at Yoruichi's smiling face and quietly said,

"We'll always be friends Yoruichi, no matter what happens."

"Deal" she said back, interlocking her little finger with Kisuke's and smiling.

* * *

It had been a couple of months since Kisuke had realised his true feeling for Yoruichi, he said 'realised' because in truth, he'd been in love with her for a long time and he'd never fully acknowledged this fact until now. Some days he could almost forget that she didn't feel the same way, he tended to forget everything when they were training – smiling, laughing, joking, just being with her was enough for him sometimes. But then there were those other times, the days when he just couldn't face the world because it was agony not be able to hold her and kiss her and have her feel the same way about him. Today was one of those days.

He had barely made it through that particular day's training without falling apart; after his work had been completed he had come to the top of Sōkyoku hill to think. He lay down at the very edge, his legs dangling precariously over the uppermost ledge of the hill, but the rest of his body lay flat down on the floor so he could feel the full force of the sun's rays warm his face in an attempt to clear his head.

He had only been lying there for a few minutes when he first sensed the spiritual pressure, he could sense someone approaching the top of the hill where he was positioned, however, Kisuke decided not to move as he recognised that the spiritual pressure belonged to Tessai. Tessai had joined the Kido division of the 13 Court Guard Squads at around about the same time that he had joined the Stealth Force; thinking back, he couldn't believe that it had already been 7 years.

Tessai now approached and once he reached the ledge of the hill, he came and sat down besides Kisuke and was the first to speak,

"Eighth seat Urahara," He said respectfully.

"Tessai," Kisuke said, not addressing him with his formal title to show that they were still friends despite not having spoken for six months due to work. Training had been hectic ever since he learnt the name of his Zanpakuto and unlocked his Shikai.

"What's been eating you Kisuke?" Tessai said, getting straight to the point, "I'm very familiar with your spiritual pressure and I can sense whenever you come up here. You've been coming quite often as of late and anyone else would think that you were suicidal dangling off the edge like this. But I know you better than that; you've been come up here to think about something."

"Nothing's wrong with me," Kisuke replied quickly, his answer sounded weak even to his own ears and he could tell that his resolve was crumbling, "everything's great with me and…Yoruichi"

The way that he faltered before saying her name confirmed to Tessai that something was very much going on; however, instead of trying to extract the information from him, he waited. Kisuke took in a few deep breaths and continued to look over all of the Seireitei, when it didn't seem that he was going to say anything, Tessai got up to leave but before he could fully straighten to a standing position, Kisuke spoke.

"I love her Tessai," he said very softly, this was the first time that he had admitted it to anyone and almost immediately he could feel some of the pressure lifting from his heart.

"I know," Tessai said, "I've known for quite a while actually."

"B-but how? I didn't even know until about two years ago."

"It was always clear to me, even when we were kids. You'd laugh with her like you did with nobody else and you'd only genuinely smile when you were with her. I'm surprised you only just realised Kisuke. And personally, I think that you should tell her how you feel."

"How can I do that!?" He yelled, all at once his frustrations boiled up inside of him, "she'd only turn me down and I'd lose her friendship forever."

"If you truly believe that then you don't know Yoruichi as well as I thought you did."

That statement felt like a slap in the face to Kisuke, of course he knew that Yoruichi would never stop being his friend, no matter what, but once he realised this he would have to admit the truth, that he was a coward and there was nothing stopping him from confessing besides his own weakness. Tessai left him there to think through this and he wished that he hadn't, because with this new information, all of his defences had been shattered and he knew that before long, he would have to face her.

_**I know I'm not the most popular author and I don't get many reviews, but every time I get a review it really motivates me to continue! Please keep reviewing because you're what keeps me going!**_


	6. Cherry Blossoms

**153 Years ago.**

He sat on a table with a few other Squad members that morning at breakfast, but he wasn't really paying much attention to what they were saying. There was a feeling in the air that morning, a feeling that something big was going to happen. Ever since what Tessai had said to him a few days ago, Kisuke's perspective on the whole situation had changed drastically, there was nothing stopping him from confessing to Yoruichi. All he had to do now was work up the nerve to tell her.

Unlike most days though, he wasn't spacing out due to depression, he was preoccupied with trying to figure out how he was going to finally tell her. Just then a snippet of their conversation caught his attention,

"…yeh, the dance tonight's going to be really fun, I'm bringing Kaede…"

"Wait a second, what was this about a dance?" Kisuke asked, an idea forming in his head.

"The 'Spring Time Dance' for Soul Reapers," his friend replied, "every time the blossoms bloom beautifully on the cherry blossom trees the Woman's Soul Reaper Association organises a party at the Kuchiki mansion to celebrate."

While their conversation continued, he spaced out again, thinking about how he was going to make tonight special. He'd get a nice suit, maybe a few flowers to give her, and once the mood was just right, he'd take her outside underneath the shower of falling blossoms and tell her. It's not like he was expecting anything to happen once he did tell her how he felt, but it didn't matter because he wanted it to be perfect no matter what.

Once breakfast had ended, Kisuke had decided on how he would go about preparing for the dance and so started to make his way to the room of one of his friends who was a member of Squad 3; she's infamous among the 13 Court Guard Squads for being obsessed with fashion. Kisuke heard that one time while she was on a hollow extermination mission her soul reaper uniform got dirty and the whole group had to hold off returning to Seireitei just so she could change her clothes. That's why Misaki was the only person Kisuke would be asking for outfit advice that day (or any other day for that matter), because she was an expert in the field.

"Misaki!" Kisuke called from outside of her room, "can I come in?"

"Sure," she replied, "I haven't seen you in ages Urahara-kun."

At this point Kisuke stepped into the room and was instantly met by the smell of perfume and a wash of pink. Misaki sat in the middle of the room with her blond hair piled on top of her head in a ponytail, she had a smile on her face and when she saw him she gestured for him to sit down beside her. When he did she began to pour some tea into the ready and waiting cup that was set in front of him on the table.

"So, what can I do for you then Urahara-kun?" she asked once the tea had been poured.

"Hey! I'm not always after something you know; sometimes I just want to visit my good friend." Kisuke said, feigning annoyance .

"Is this one of those times?" she said with a raised eyebrow.

"No," Kisuke replied, and they both started laughing, being careful not to spill the hot tea. When they had finished laughing he explained to her that he needed desperately a good suit for the 'Spring Time Dance' that night and that he had no clue what to get or where to go.

"Leave it to me!" Misaki said, and at this point Kisuke became slightly worried because she had a really wide grin on her face, just looking at her told him that this was going to be a long day.

Sure enough, they both left the Squad 3 barracks shortly and for the first half of the day they spent hours going from one shop to another trying on different colours and styles of suits. By dinnertime they had decided on a charcoal grey suit that cost enough to make Kisuke groan out load when he handed the money over to the cashier, but it was very well fitted and looked good on him so he had to deal with the price. In the afternoon after they ate dinner at a ramen place, they started to look for shirts and ties and eventually went with a light blue shirt and dark blue tie.

Kisuke did have to admit, the finished product did look very nice, but by the time that they had finished shopping, he only had a few hours to head back to his quarters and get ready. He already had the suit on because he wore it home once he'd bought it, but he had to try and tame his hair and get Yoruichi some flowers before he set off.

He finished getting ready just in time; the dance was starting soon so he had to hastily walk to the squad 6 barracks where the Kuchiki mansion was located. On his way there he realised that in his rush he had forgot to get the flowers for Yoruichi, which caused him to swear under his breath and that earned him a few disapproving glances from the other people walking to the dance around him.

Looking around frantically, he spotted a small pond not far from where he was standing, as he approached he noticed a single small water lily, its white petals delicately fell open to reveal a brilliant orange centre. It reminded him so much of Yoruichi that he thought that it must have been fate that he found it here, as if was waiting for him; he quickly scooped it from the water and shortly after this, arrived at the Kuchiki mansion.

As soon as he entered the room his eyes immediately flew to her, she stood out from the room of people, despite all of the bright colours circulating around her. She was wearing a tight floor length dress that was the colour of the sun at sunset, it was embroidered with a pattern of flowers that looked exactly like the water lily that he had just picked, the fabric seemed to make her dark skin glow. The dress had a high neck but a section had been cut out from the chest so some of her cleavage was showing, also, a slit ran all the way up to her mid-thigh on one side of the dress so one of her legs was exposed almost completely exposed. It was a dangerous dress, Kisuke thought suddenly. Their eyes met and he made his way over to her.

**Yoruichi's perspective.**

Dances were never much fun for Yoruichi, as if to drive this point home, she had just had to talk to a particularly unbearable man who claimed that he would soon become the strongest Soul Reaper in all history, she had to work hard to not roll her eyes at him. When he went away Yoruichi spotted Kisuke as he entered the building and breathed a small sigh of relief, he must have seen her as well because he came walking towards where she was standing almost immediately. He wore a very nice grey suit that made it so you could see the muscles in his arms through the fabric; his hair was combed and slicked down close to his skull, showing off more of his face than normal. He looked good.

"I didn't know that you were one for dances," Yoruichi said as she smiled up at him when he reached her.

"I didn't know you were either," Kisuke said, he must have seen her relief at seeing him because he pulled her to a corner, away from all of the people who didn't know her and would never try to.

"I'm not, but I'm head of the Stealth Force, I have to be here." At this point Kisuke revealed a small but beautiful water lily from behind his back and held it up for her to take.

"It's for you Yoruichi," he said, blushing as he placed it in her hair, just in front of her left ear. She looked in the window that was opposite her, it had become quite reflective due to the darkness outside, and she did have to admit that the flower looked beautiful.

"Come on," she said as she took hold of his hands, which she noticed were especially clammy despite it being a quite cool evening, "dance with me Kisuke!"

She didn't do much that night without Kisuke at her side, they danced for most of the songs, they laughed and talked when the music was fast and danced close like the other couples when the music slowed down. During one of these songs later on in the night, Kisuke whispered into her ear,

"Want to step outside for a little while and get some fresh air?" She gave a small nod as her answer and followed him into the garden. They stood next to a pond which was filled with blossom petals and floating lanterns that illuminated each of their faces, on their other side stood one of the cherry blossom trees the party was actually centred around, its pink canopy was directly above their heads.

Kisuke chatted idly for a while but Yoruichi could tell that there was something specific that he wanted to say, like always, it took him a while to say what he felt. Finally he spoke,

"Y-yoruichi, I –" at this point she could see that he continued to speak but couldn't hear what he said because his words were drowned out by the sound of fireworks that had just been set off in the sky.

"What?" she said, struggling to hear. Again his mouth moved but she couldn't make out the words.

"What!" she repeated.

"I LOVE YOU YORUICHI!" he yelled to try and overcome the noise of the fireworks but they had ceased firing momentarily so his words echoed in Yoruichi's ears and stopped her heart, if only for a second.

_**If you're interested, I drew a picture of what I imagined Yoruichi's dress to look like. There's a link to it on my profile at the bottom. I know I'm not a very good drawer but it's just to give you an idea ;)**_


	7. Not Disheartened

"_I LOVE YOU YORUICHI!" he yelled to try and overcome the noise of the fireworks but they had ceased firing momentarily so his words echoed in Yoruichi's ears and stopped her heart, if only for a second._

Yoruichi didn't know how to react to this; she wasn't normally surprised by anything, especially not Kisuke; she had always been able to tell exactly what he was thinking and what he was going to say, but his confession of love had rendered her speechless. All at once she began to remember all of their time together, over all of these years.

***Flashback***

It was Valentine's Day last year and head captain Yamamoto had encouraged the people of the Seireitei to give out cards this year. The day before Squad 4 had delivered little paper post boxes to everyone in the 13 Court Guard Squads, they were supposed to be left outside your door the night before and collected at noon on Valentine's Day. This event had been set up due to the declining economy in the Rukon district, buying cards and craft materials from those who manufacture paper was supposed to help the poor get back on their feet. As well as this, the mood in the Seireitei had become stagnant in the recent weeks so this was also a mechanism to try and cheer everyone up.

Yoruichi didn't expect many Valentine's cards as she didn't really know any men, she often had conversations with the guys on her Squad, but that was normally just during training so that didn't really count for much. Because she believed this, it came as a shock to her that her box contained quite a few cards when she went to check on it later that day. Of course there were a few cards from her friends that weren't sent with a romantic intent, even Tessai had sent one! But there were also quite a few ones from secret admirers that surprised her greatly, one of these cards was sent by Yamada, the young and nervous man who used to be assigned as her escort when he first joined the Squad.

What was perhaps the most intriguing of the cards was the one that she found tucked away at the bottom of the box, it was very small and was sealed within an envelope, when she opened it all that it said inside of it was:

_To Yoruichi,_

_Just know, that I'll always be thinking of you._

_?_

At dinner that night, she sat next to some of her girlfriends who were showing each other all of the Valentines that they had received and before long they asked her what she had received as well. At this point she proceeded to pull out the card that was signed with a question mark, immediately all of the girls pounced on it and tried to guess who it was from.

"….wait, I'm sure that this handwriting belongs to Kisuke," one of the women said.

"Your right!" another agreed, "this is totally from Kisuke, Yoruichi."

"You should go and ask him."

Hearing this made Yoruichi's breath catch and her heart to speed up just a little bit. She shook it off quickly and turned to smile at her friends who continued to enthuse over the card, she insisted to them that it couldn't have been Kisuke's and soon the conversation shifted off the subject. When she had finished her meal she excused herself from the table and made her way back to the Squad 2 Barracks. Once she was outside she allowed herself to wonder, why had she reacted like that? What did this mean? In the end she decided that it was only because the thought of Kisuke feeling anything for her was impossible, and nothing else.

The morning after, when Kisuke woke her up for training, she decided to ask him about the Valentine just in case.

"Kisuke?" She asked tentatively.

"Yep," Kisuke replied, he was in the middle of yawning and seemed completely nonchalant to her, she almost didn't ask him what she wanted to , but in the end she got up the courage to say,

"Do you know who this Valentine is off?"

After looking at the small card that she held out for him to see, he shook his head and confirmed,

"I'm sorry, I don't recognise the handwriting," he smiled, "but wait, did you get mine? Tessai was supposed to write my name in his?"

"Oh, he must have forgotten."

After that they continued to talk and train as normal, but Yoruichi felt something unpleasant stir in the pit of her stomach, only later did she realise that the feeling was that of disappointment, but the real question was, why was she disappointed that the Valentine wasn't off Kisuke?

***End Flashback***

After Kisuke's confession, the air grew still, as if a great deal of tension had been released. Yoruichi looked up at his face and she could see that he was looking straight into her eyes with a confidence that contradicted the blush in his cheeks. Quickly reining in her surprise she stated,

"So why didn't you tell me sooner?"

"Erm, I-I thought that my feelings would jeopardize our friendship," he stated, taken about by her reply.

"If you believed that then you don't know me very well!"

"You know, that's funny, that's exactly what Tessai said to me the other day!"

They both proceeded to laugh, for no particular reason other than to show one another that nothing about their relationship was going to change, not if they didn't want it to. The last of the tension drained out of Kisuke and after a quick conversation, they both decided to ditch the party and go and hang out somewhere.

Somehow, they found their way to the underground training centre where they discarded their fancy clothes in exchange for their regular outfits. After a while of talking and laughing, Yoruichi was the first to bring up the events of the dance again.

"I really am sorry Kisuke," she said after the laughter had died down and they lay on the ground, staring at the patterns on the ceiling.

"It's alright," Kisuke replied, not looking at her face in case she saw the hurt that made it clear that it certainly wasn't alright, "you don't need to feel guilty, and I wasn't expecting anything anyway."

"But still, rejection must be hard." This only drove home the point for Kisuke and it soon became clear to him that they may act like they used to, but something had changed inside of Kisuke that made him so sad that he felt if he focused too much on his emotions, he would surely drown in them. But he wasn't disheartened, he wasn't going to give up on her.

"It's probably just a crush, it'll go away soon" He clarified, although he himself was sure that this was completely untrue, that it wasn't going to go away from a long time.


	8. Training Exercises

**152 Years ago.**

Kisuke was sure that he was turning into a masochist. There he was, curled up next to Yoruichi in her captain's room, watching a movie. With even the slightest movement the hair on her head would brush up against his nose and bring with it the sweet scent of lemongrass and spring air. To be honest, he wasn't watching the movie; he was too preoccupied trying to supress the urge to touch her beautiful face, to kiss her. But he couldn't.

It had been a few weeks since the night when Kisuke had confessed to her and things seemed to have stayed the same between them, she treated him the way she always had and he did the same, but he knew that on a fundamental level something had changed. There were awkward silences where there never used to be, and sometimes the conversations became a little forced. They acted as if nothing had changed and nobody would be able to tell that anything had shifted in their relationship from the outside, but they knew. Or, at least, he knew.

Sometimes she would say something or do something that would send stabs of pain radiating through his heart, and while he stood there in agony, she seemed non-the-wiser. She would wrinkle her nose when she smiled or toss the hair out of her eyes in such a way which would make him never want to stop looking at her, he just wanted to see it all, to experience all of her.

One of these moments occurred during the middle of the film that they had been watching, a hell butterfly drifted into the room and purposefully landed on the top of Yoruichi's arm. She sat up; alert and the absence of her in his arms left him feeling hollow.

"Oh god, I completely forgot about that training thing I have to do today!" Yoruichi exclaimed. She turned to Kisuke, who had already moulded his face into a serene mask, she did truly look sorry that she would be leaving him. He softened a little bit due to this.

"So that new feature I installed into the hell butterflies is working out well then?" he said with an obvious confidence, he was proud of his inventions.

"Yeh, I never miss a meeting now!" she said with mock enthusiasm. They both laughed and soon, with a sigh, Yoruichi departed.

**Yoruichi's perspective.**

She did regret leaving Kisuke, but this new training program that she had set up was too important to skip. A few months ago she had decided that she would start to accompany Squad members on missions to the Rukon district and the world of the living in order for them to get some first-hand experience in professional combat. When she arrived at the place in which the training was to begin, she was shocked to find that she recognised one of the nervous faces staring back at her.

"Yamada!" she said as she ran to greet him, sure enough this earned her some suprised looks from the other Squad members. Despite having joined the Stealth Force before Kisuke, Yamada had not progressed nearly as much in the last 9 years and so still resided as an unseated officer.

After a few words to the rest of the trainee's, Yoruichi decided that it was time to explain their mission for today.

"We've been getting some reports of hollow activity in District 45 of Rukongai. Now, we wouldn't normally send a captain to exterminate a few low class hollows, but them turning up in the Rukon district is unusual so we've been ordered to check it out."

With this, they departed for District 45, she couldn't use flash step as some of the recruits had yet to master it, so by the time they reached their destination, the sun was already beating down directly overhead. It was clear that they had been assigned to this village because the first thing she saw was a pile of rubble, houses were left crumbled and abandoned along the street, and the dirt path showed signs of a struggle in the deep scratches that marred the earth. A worried looking elderly man stick sat cross-legged on the ledge of a fountain placed at the centre of the village, recognising that he must be the village elder, Yoruichi approached him.

"Hello sir," she said, bowing deeply with a fist placed over her heart as a sign of respect, "we are a small group of soul reapers from Squad 2, here to deal with the hollow problem."

"Oh, thank goodness you are here! Some of our people were taken last night!" His face began to redden as the anger and upset that had previously been under control blossomed.

"Calm down, just tell me what happened and I'll try to deal with the problem." With a calming breath to steady himself, he proceeded to tell the story.

"Three of four hollows came down that rock face," he pointed to the steep cliffs that were located to the right of the settlement, "and started to devour our people, they destroyed our homes and…" his anger had overtaken him again and he could not continue to speak.

"It's alright sir," Yoruichi said as she placed a hand on his shoulder to comfort him, "we will investigate those cliffs right away and report to you when we are done."

After this Yoruichi explained what had happened to the learning Squad members, who all agreed that they should venture up to the top of the cliffs immediately. When they did this they found a few signs of life, a few scrapes on the floor and a couple of broken branches, but other than that no hollows appeared. They were just about to visit another location when Yamada spoke up,

"I think that we shouldn't ignore what the villagers said," he said timidly, "if this is the route that the hollows are using to access the settlement, then we should stay here to protect them!" during this speech his cheeks had turned increasingly red and his head lowered so he was staring down at the floor in embarrassment at his outburst. This was why he didn't see the hollow coming.

The beast seemed to appear as if from nowhere and was heading straight for Yamada, who was still looking down at the floor, oblivious. Yoruichi, however, spotted it immediately and with the reflexes of a panther, jumped into the air so she was suspended above its masked head and quickly used the head of her foot to slice through its body and end its life. It died promptly, but the force of her kick had also knocked Yamada to the floor.

"Are you ok?" Yoruichi asked, kneeling at his side.

"Ok? You saved my life! How can I ever repay you?" he asked, looking up at her with the same admiring expression he had worn the first time she had demonstrated flash step to him.

"Just don't die, ok?" she said, smiling.

By this time the sun had set which made looking for hollow trails nearly impossible, so the group decided that they would set up a camp on the top of the cliff, stay the night and continue the mission on the next day, like Yamada had suggested. It didn't take long to put up the tents but by the time that they were done, the sun had already disappeared over the horizon and the stars had become visible, the only form of illumination for the group was the fire that they had used to cook their simple dinner of rice. The moonless night felt ominous, so much so that Yoruichi didn't acknowledge the eerie feeling that she was getting until later that night.

_**Ok, not my best chapter, I'll admit. But it had a purpose! I promise things will get more exciting soon and Kisuke and Yoruichi will not stay in denial for long.**_


	9. How could she ever explain?

_The moonless night felt ominous, so much so that Yoruichi didn't acknowledge the eerie feeling that she was getting until later that night._

After dinner the group had soon retired to the large tent that was meant to accommodate the six members of the training team, a separate tent had been packed just for Yoruichi and she had insisted that she just sleep with the rest of them, but they had erected the tent regardless. It felt rude to disregard their hard work so she reluctantly accepted the private space.

Sometime later on in the night, just before Yoruichi was about to settle down to sleep, she heard a small voice speaking her name from just outside of the tent. She peered outside the opening of the tent to see Yamada standing awkwardly in front of the make shift door, his hand in a fist, as if he wasn't sure whether to knock or not.

"C-can I come in?" He asked tentatively.

"Of course you can," she said, smiling at him in an attempt to try and get him to relax a little. He stepped inside of the sleeping area carefully and sat down neatly on the floor opposite her futon. Since he continued to sit there silently, Yoruichi started,

"So, was there something you wanted Yamada?"

"Oh, I just came because I wanted to thank you for saving me today" a wide smile suddenly spread across his face as he looked up at Yoruichi.

"You don't need to thank me; it's my job to protect you. It was nothing, trust me."

"Oh, but it wasn't nothing! It was amazing watching you take out that hollow with a single blow, and you didn't even use a Zanpakuto! See, that's why I admire you." Yoruichi was quite shocked to hear this, she always viewed her fighting skills as a product of the training her family put her through, and so it was moments like this that truly made her proud of her abilities.

"You admire me?" she said, grinning.

"Yes!" Yamada exclaimed quickly, "ever since I first met you I've wanted to be like you." This again made Yoruichi glow with pride; she was good at teaching others, she knew that, but the thing that meant most to her was inspiring young fighters to improve that actually wanted to learn from her.

After this, they talked for a while, about little things that had happened in the time that he had been in the Squad, until the conversation finally circled back around to the topic of the hollows.

"So do you think that that hollow that attacked me today was the same as the one that attacked the village?" he asked.

"No," Yoruichi said, suddenly sure, "its spiritual pressure was weak which shows that it hasn't fed in a while. To tell you the truth, ever since we set up camp I've been feeling an odd spiritual pressure, it's safe to say that it could be something suspicious."

"Well we've gotta go check it out then!" Yamada said, all at once full of enthusiasm, "we're here to protect those people so we should kill them as soon as possible." Yoruichi admired his strong sense of justice, she had been having a great time talking to Yamada and it was clear that he liked her a lot, she didn't have any time to appreciate this, however, as he had proceeded to run out of the tent in pursuit of the hollows.

"Wait!" she called after him. When it was clear that he wasn't going to stop, she quickly ducked into the tent where the other recruits were sleeping to tell them that she would be chasing after Yamada and would be gone for a while.

She caught up with him easily; he had been running in the direction of the spiritual pressure so it was obvious that Yoruichi had been right about the hollows as Yamada could sense them too. Instead of greeting her when he saw that she joined him, he gave her a small nod of acknowledgment as a welcome. Before that she had intended to tell him to turn around and go back to camp, but seeing how serious he was about this mission, she decided that any such words would be pointless. She figured that if she went along with him and he killed a few hollows, he'd be satisfied and come back to the others.

After about half an hour of walking, they came across a small valley that was closed off at one end, inside the wall a clear entrance to a cave was carved into the hillside; this was where the spiritual pressure felt the most concentrated. Being as silent as possible, they both slid into the cave, hugging the walls for protection. They had been right about the location of the hollows, because once they turned the corner, they could clearly see about 20 hollows gathered in a clearing at the centre of the cave.

Not daring to speak, the two Soul Reapers retreated back around the corner that they had previously emerged from. Yoruichi would not normally be this cautious, but there was something strange about these hollows, they twitched and growled in a way that was unnatural for their species. Something wasn't right.

"They're feral," She said simply.

"Feral?" Yamada asked, "But I thought hollows were already kind of feral?"

"They are, but they can get to a certain stage where they lose what little control they have if they don't feed for a long time. But that very rarely happens, I-I think someone's trapped these hollows in this cave." As she said this she pointed to the hollow closest to them, its ankle was tied to the rock wall with a metal brace; its skin had rubbed away near to the restraint, evidence that it had tried to escape.

Without warning, the sound of metal breaking pierced the air, followed by one of the feral hollows breaking free from confinement. Her killer instincts kicked in all at once and Yoruichi was flying around the corner, ready to attack. As she came closer, another hollow decided to attack her, lunging out with its fist, it came as such a shock that she almost couldn't dodge it, from where Yamada it must have seemed like she was going to get hit and with speed she didn't know he possessed, he threw himself in front of her in order to take the blow. A sickening snap came from inside of him as he was flung against the wall, his body totally limp.

Yoruichi didn't have time to process what had just occurred, instead she proceeded to numbly exterminate every one of the hollows in the cave, half way through this act she realised that the blood which splattered her face was being washed away by the tears that stung freshly in her eyes. She defeated the last one, breathing heavily not because of the battle, but because to the sobs that were now racking up her throat.

She immediately rushed over to where Yamada lay, his spiritual pressure was incredibly weak, she would believe that he was dead where it not for the slight rise and fall of his chest. Leaning over him, she tried to staunch the blood coming from the gruesome gash that ran from his neck to his chest, her tears dripped on to his face.

"Y-Yoruichi?" he whispered, his speech came out sounding strangled, his throat constricted at the difficulty of talking.

"I'm right here, "she said, keeping her lips close to his ear so he didn't have to strain to hear. It was evident in her voice that she was crying.

"I can't see you!" he said, crying now. His hands groped for her and she rushed to grip his hand in hers. His eyelids had peeled back to reveal eyes that had clouded over, the continued to search for her but he couldn't focus on anything. He didn't have long.

"Why did you do that? You didn't have to do that for me!"

"I'd do anything for y-y-you "At this point, his breath hitched and his chest started to sink as he struggled for breath. With a horrendous coughing sound, he ceased speaking and his spiritual pressure slowly ebbed away to nothing. Yoruichi waited with him until she felt his hand slip out of hers. He died with a smile on his face but this did nothing to console her, she was suddenly overcome with an overwhelming guilt. _This would have never happened if it weren't for her_, she thought, _he_ gave _everything up for me and I didn't even deserve it_.

She stayed with him for a long time, she didn't know how long exactly, but all of the hollow carcasses had long since faded when the sun started to peak across the horizon. The golden light streaming into the cave helped to clear her head of some of the racking guilt and grief, enough that she realised that she had to get back to the others. Yoruichi removed her surprisingly clean captain's jacket and wrapped Yamada's chest up in it so the gash that had drained him of his life was hidden; she picked him up gently and carried him to the camp.

A great silence fell over the camp when the Squad members saw Yoruichi carry Yamada. Some cried and some simply nodded their heads at Yoruichi as she passed, but every single one of them bowed to Yamada as she carried him by them walked. She quickly explained what happened, that the hollows were now gone and what he did for her, but she realised that would never be able to tell others what he had done for her properly, so she stopped talking.

"I'm sorry, but this mission is over. Let's go home," she said in a voice that sounded much calmer than how she felt, without need for a response, Yoruichi proceeded to carry Yamada all the way home.


	10. For All The Wrong Reasons

"_I'm sorry, but this mission is over. Let's go home," she said in a voice that sounded much calmer than how she felt, without need for a response, Yoruichi proceeded to carry Yamada all the way home._

When Yoruichi returned to Seireitei there was something that she had to go through before she could finally return home, which is all she wanted to do. Head Captain Yamamoto asked that any deaths outside of battle must be reported to him within 24 hours of the event so he could have a better idea of Squad member numbers. As soon as she set foot into the Seireitei she had to make her way to Squad 1's barracks, with Yamada's body still in her arms. It was a long two hours before she could leave; the funeral arrangements had been made but when Yamamoto had asked how he had died she could barely choke out an answer.

The moment she was out of the room she was running, running to nowhere in particular but she needed to release the tension in her muscles. She lost herself in the rhythm, all of her focus on the thud-thud-thud of her feet hitting the floor, she didn't let the overwhelming guilt take over her, that was for later. A few hours had passed she circled back to the Squad 2 barracks, she had hoped to run to the point of exhaustion, but that would probably take a week or so, so instead Yoruichi made her way to the sake bar at the edge of the 13 Court Guard Squad's barracks that not many people knew about. It was dark, dingy and nobody would bother her there, she could easily sit undisturbed in a dark corner and drink herself stupid.

"More sake over here!" Yoruichi called to the bartender, who was on old man with scars covering his weathered face.

"Missy, I think you've had enough" He said, eyeing the 3 bottles of sake that lay beside her, empty.

"Well fine then, I guess I'll just have to take my business elsewhere then," she said snarkily. Stumbling out of the bar, she earned a few looks from the people who were still sat inside the bar, but she didn't care about them.

She had a few bottles of Sake in her office, she thought, so she began to head back towards the Squad 2 barracks. On her way, when she was alone, she allowed the guilt to consume her; Yamada had told her that he had always looked up to her, he had been so sweet for all of those years in the Squad despite how tired he must have been from the hard labour given out to weaker members. He sent her a valentines card that only made her heart grow fonder, he had told her that he had wanted to be brave, like her, and when she had been fighting the hollows, he had given up his life to save her, even though that life could have easily been kept, preserved and cherished by the loved ones he might have had. And it was all because of her. It was all her fault that his light had now been extinguished, all her fault that the sweet boy from Squad 2 was now cold and lifeless on a slab somewhere in Squad 4, all her fault that an innocent boy had died.

Somehow, she had found herself to Kisuke's, she'd been so preoccupied with those stifling thoughts that she hadn't been paying attention to where she was going, only when she caught his familiar scent in the air did she stop and realise where she was. She could hear him alive inside, breathing in and out as he slept peacefully, totally unaware that his best friend was a good-for-nothing murderer who couldn't even protect her troops.

She stood outside of his room for a long time just listening to him breath, Kisuke, the man who was her best friend, who also looked up to her; he didn't need someone like her in his life. She was just about to leave when she heard the door to his room slide open just a crack, and behind it was Kisuke, looking dishevelled but unsurprised that she was there.

"Yoruichi?" he said, rubbing his eyes sleepily. All at once a rush of feeling welled up inside of her, she needed comfort and she needed familiarity but most of all she needed _him_.

In a flash her lips were on his, she pressed firmly against his mouth, hungry for someone to help her forget, now that the sake was gone. She could feel Kisuke gasp against her lips, he was taken by surprise at her forwardness, but he did nothing to stop the kiss. She ran her hands across his broad shoulders, feeling his muscles tense pleasantly at her touch, she needed to be in control and he was giving her exactly what she craved. She continued to move her hands across his shoulders and down his well-defined chest, with a push they were both moving backwards into his room, their lips ever-locked together. There was a pause where they stopped kissing, Kisuke's eyes bore into hers and for a moment she thought that he would ask her what had changed her mind, but instead he breathed deeply and began planting a trail of kisses down her neck.

While he was busy doing this, her hands were free so she slid them comfortably out of his tangled blond hair where they had previously been intertwined, and proceeded to undo the simple obi that held together his shihakusho, when it had come loose she spread apart the folds of the black fabric to reveal his smooth chest and stomach. Following her lead, he stopped kissing her neck in order to take off her clothes, his hands were greedy and before long her bare breasts were showing, round and full and glistening in the dim moonlight that streamed through the thin paper walls.

"God you're beautiful," he said, a look of pure love in his eyes.

They both continued to kiss but things were getting serious, they now and they lay together on the floor, completely naked, both of them were covered in a thin layer of sweat that made their skin stick together tantalisingly. She breathed hard and their stomachs connected when they both inhaled deeply.

**Kisuke's perspective.**

They breathed hard and he couldn't help but appreciate her beautiful body, she moved with a grace no ballerina could mimic and she was so comfortable in her own skin that he couldn't help but feel the same, which caused him to become overwhelmed with the knowledge that this, right here, was the most perfect thing that could ever happen to him. He was just about to bring his lips back to hers when he realised that her deep breathing had disguised her sobs, her face was wet with tears and she was crying heavily; it was at that moment that the illusion shattered for Kisuke, she didn't want him, something bad had happened and she wanted him to make her forget. He reached for his clothes beside his futon and returned to a sitting position.

"Kisuke?" she asked, totally unaware that she was crying, it made him so angry it hurt.

"Just put your clothes on Yoruichi," he said, turning to face the wall, showing his back to her.

"But –"she was interrupted by his shout.

"Just put your freaking clothes on and leave!"

"But, but why?" she said, completely taken aback, her earlier confidence dissolved and she suddenly seemed very vulnerable in her unclothed state.

"Why? How much sake have you had tonight? Do you think I can't smell it on you? Do you think I can't see the tears?" she didn't reply, instead she brought her hand up to her face to touch her wet cheek, immediately breaking out of her lustful frenzy. She looked utterly ashamed and began to cry even more than before. This also proved to melt away all of Kisuke's sudden anger.

"I can tell that this isn't about me, and Yoruichi I want you, I want you so much," he took a stride towards her and grabbed her softly by her shoulders, gazing into her eyes with a look of longing, "But I only want you when you want me too."

She returned his gaze with one that made him believe that she could have been a helpless little girl "Ok," she nodded, sniffing as she stared down at the floor and finished getting dressed. They said nothing for a few moments as they both collected themselves, only when Yoruichi was across the threshold of the door did she speak again.

"I think It's time that you trained for Bankai," she said steadily, her emotions more under control than before, "you need to protect yourself out there."

_**Woo! Kisuke's back and something finally happened. I'm sorry if there are some grammar errors but I just felt this chapter pouring out of me. Review and I'll be back after my holidays.**_


	11. Is It Killing You Like It's Killing Me?

_**I ideally wanted to write this chapter straight after the next but I'm away right now and this is the only time I've had a break. **_

**The Morning After.**

Yoruichi woke up to the sound of rain beating down on the wooden floor outside of her room. She looked around and sure enough, she was definitely asleep in her own bed, in her own room. All at once, a flood of memories from last night infiltrated Yoruichi's mind, she remembered stumbling into Kisuke's room in the middle of the night, delirious on sake and sadness; she couldn't imagine what she must have seemed like to him in that state. Everything was blurry but she remembered kissing him and…taking his clothes off…Just what had she done last night?

She stood up, only to feel the blood rush from her head, serving to reveal the pounding headache that pounded in her temples. The result of the night before, she thought miserably. Something else nagged at the back of her mind but she just couldn't remember what, in an attempt to clear the remaining fog from her head, she opened the door to her room and gazed over the Squad 2 gardens that were located just outside of her room. The rain stained the wooden floor with large droplets of water, these formations merged together as the rain continued to sink into the ground; the sky was a dark shade of grey due to the saturated clouds that blocked out the morning sun. A gust of wind blew past Yoruichi, making her clothes billow and her hair waft into the air, she breathed in the cool breeze as she started to remember all of the terrible events from the past twenty four hours.

* * *

Kisuke actually liked the rain, it helped him think. The steady drum of rain drops pelting the earth created a rhythm for his thoughts to follow, so they didn't get tangled up in his mind. A sole gaslight burned beside him at the desk where he sat and thought, his workshop was normally dingy due to the gaslight being the only light fitted into the entire room, but now that the natural light of the sun had been blocked by the storm clouds that kept rolling in, the room had been plunged into almost complete darkness.

The other day Kisuke had seen Captain Kyoyaku and Ukitake demonstrate a fight in the Squad 8 barracks, they had moved so swiftly and precisely that it had left him in a sort of awe, despite all the years of training, he was nowhere near that level. He thought that, given the right conditions, the spirit particles given off by transitioning souls (note: transitioning into hollows) could be collected and stored in a special devise which could be used to give soul reapers the powers of a hollow on top of their own natural strength.

He had been working in his invention room ever since Yoruichi left the night before, he wasn't thinking about what had happened because what she did last night cut him deep. He didn't feel hurt, at the moment, he just felt incredibly angry at how she'd tried to use him even though she knew how he felt. He poured his anger into his work; working meant that he didn't have time to think about anything else. He'd never been angry at Yoruichi before and he didn't want to think about her in that way, but if he didn't work now then that was what was going to happen.

Kisuke reached over to grab a paintbrush to note down his ideas when he caught a glimpse of the time. He grabbed for the clock to check that it wasn't broken, but sure enough, it was past midday already and he hadn't had anything to eat or drink in a while.

Deciding that he did actually have to take care of himself, he walked out of his room and headed towards the restaurant that most people used for food in the Stealth Force, he tried to smooth down his clothes on the way but he wasn't really concerned about how he looked. When he reached the place, he opened the door and began scanning the room for somewhere to sit, it was then that he caught sight of a flash of purple hair in the corner of his eye but it was too late, he had already turned to look at the back table and right into Yoruichi's eyes.

* * *

Many people had been walking in and out of the restaurant all afternoon; Yoruichi had been taking her time with her meal as her stomach still hadn't settled from the night before, that's why she didn't look up when the door opened this time, she was just chewing a piece of beef when she caught his eye from across the room. Kisuke was the one who had just entered the restaurant and he was staring right at her! For some reason her usual confidence had dissolved and she quickly averted her eyes, instead choosing to look at the empty seat across the table from herself, this didn't help her mood because she realised soon after that this seat once belonged to Yamada which sent her into a spiralling pit of guilt.

So much guilt hung on her shoulders, she felt guilty for Yamada's death, she felt guilty for turning Kisuke down at the Springtime Dance, and most of all she felt guilty for how she'd acted last night. She could feel eyes on her again so she looked up again, only to regret it because the one looking at her was Kisuke; he had a really angry expression on his face, which only seemed to intensify when she met his stare with a glance of her own. Both sets of eyes darted away. Crap, she thought, she normally didn't care about what people thought, but this felt different, she found herself caring _a lot_ about what Kisuke thought of her.

It was strange how just a few glances from across the room could make her feel so terrible. It was killing her to sit there and feel his angry stare on her, to know that things were bad between them. She sat there alone feeling lost and out of place despite having lived in the soul society for over twenty years and sitting in the same seat for all that time. During this time she had to question just why she was feeling this way, and why she couldn't help but remember the night before every time she saw his face. After all this time could it be that….she was starting to develop feelings for him? She shook away the though, she told herself that they were just friends and that was all. She got up to leave the table, unsettled.


	12. Grave Under The Willow Tree

He couldn't believe that the anger that welled up inside of his was directed at Yoruichi, for years he had felt only desperate love for her, but this seemed to be completely replaced by the burning fury at how she had used tried to use him just nights before. She acted like nothing had changed between them, but when she needed comforting she crossed the boundary and used his love as a way to use him for herself, despite the impact she knew it would have on him.

Regardless of this, he couldn't escape the fact that she was still his teacher and his bankai training would commence in the near future , this would take a long time so he'd have to think of a way to avoid her as much as possible by speeding up the process of achieving bankai or getting a new teacher altogether.

Suddenly, Kisuke remembered something that he had done research on a while back, on a mission to the Rukon District he had discovered that when visiting your inner world to talk to your Zanpakuto, a certain hormone is released in the brain that forces the body to hibernate so Soul Reaper is fully concentrating and the swords spirit can fully manifest inside of your mind without inside interruptions. He figured that if you could somehow make this phenomenon occur outside of the mind then you could force your Zanpakuto spirit into real life. Combine this technique with a certain gigai technology then voila! He would have a new teacher to help him learn bankai, and who better than Benihime himself?

He rushed back to his room to write down this idea so he could immediately begin testing prototypes of the invention, in this way the finished product could be ready in time for Monday, when he would have to face Yoruichi at training.

Sometime later, when he had gathered together a clear plan of what he was going to do to make this device, he realised that he would need to collect some of the hormone that he needed. Strangely enough, this hormone was most commonly found in a plant that grew in the Squad 4's medicinal garden, outside of the body at least.

Raring to go, he made his way to the Squad 4 barracks, outside it was still raining so he walked mostly underneath awnings that stretched out from the nearby buildings, the sky had stayed a permanent shade of dark grey all day so it was impossible to tell if it was morning or night. As he looked up at the clouds, the sky rumbled with thunder.

The medicinal gardens were left open to the rain so Kisuke had to first spot the plant that he needed from a distance before darting to get it so he could stay relatively dry. That was the plan anyway, he had already spotted the plant and quickly made his way towards it, a willow tree grew around the plant, shielding a lot of the gardens from view on the outside of its branches, due to this he hadn't realised that someone was under the canopy. Purple hair, orange jacket, it had to be Yoruichi. He quickly turned around but was stopped by the voice behind him.

"Can you not even be near me anymore Kisuke?" she asked, her voice sounding even and devoid of emotions. To him, it seemed like luck wasn't on his side today, he had run into her twice in one day at the times when he really didn't want to see her.

"I don't really want to be here right now Yoruichi, I'll just come back later," he answered, his voice equally as steady and controlled.

"Come on Kisuke, we're friends and I'm sorry, can't we just forget it ever?"

These words made the anger flare up inside of him all the more and, like so many times around Yoruichi, he could no longer keep his emotions in check. "Can't we just forget it? You just don't get it do you? You and I both know how I felt about you but you had to mess with my head anyway."

* * *

She ignored the comment about messing with his head, she had already agonised over this fact all day long, and instead she asked a far more dangerous question "felt?" she whispered.

"Yes, felt, Yoruichi. In case you haven't noticed, I'm tired of chasing after someone who only wants me when it suits them." She looked at his face as he said those words that were filled with venom. His blond hair had been dampened in the downpour that still seeped through the branches of the willow tree in which they stood, the damp strands of hair curled around his face in a way that made his eyes look more prominent and his jawline seem very angular. The water glistened on the tip of his nose and his eyes were filled with a passion that she'd never seen before, this was a totally different Kisuke than the one she knew from her childhood, this one was passionate and sure of himself and, totally and completely beautiful.

This wasn't what she was supposed to be thinking at this moment in time, so instead she tried to reply to him. "I know what I did was wrong, but I didn't know what to do!"

Kisuke looked puzzled, "Didn't know what to do about what?"

"I mean, there was so much that I could've done to change it, it could all have been different if it weren't for me," she mumbled, more to herself that to him.

"Changed what Yoruichi? What's up with you?"

"Yamada died on the mission," she said quietly, she wasn't even sure if he could hear her and sure enough, he leaned in closer to listen to what she was saying, "I was actually just putting some flowers on his grave, when we were making the arrangements for his funeral it was discovered that he was actually supposed to be assigned to Squad 4. He always loved this place so I asked for him to be buried here."

Kisuke looked on at her, the passion was still alive in his eyes but the corners of his mouth released the grimace that he had been displaying, he slowly walked over to where she had been sat a few moments before to look at the small grave that displayed Yamada's name. After a short while, he returned to facing her and said,

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"I didn't want you to know what I had done; I didn't want anyone to know,"

"Yoruichi, you know that I'll be here no matter what, and I've always thought that you'd always be there for me too, but that changed after what you did…" he trailed off, still angry.

"I am here for you! I'll always be here for you," Yoruichi tentatively held her hand out, as if wanting to rest in on his shoulder but was unsure if she was allowed to.

* * *

Seeing Yoruichi act so vulnerable and unsure of herself was a big indication to how much she must have been carrying on her shoulders. He wasn't sure what had happened to get Yamada killed but he could assume that it was no accident, the way she had been acting since that mission must have been because of this. A little bit more of his anger broke away, like he always knew it would eventually, although he was still hurt, she was hurting too and he couldn't make her suffer anymore pointless arguing.

He took her hand in his and looked her in the eye when he said "I know that, and despite everything, I still want you to be there when I gain my bankai."

"That'll take years Kisuke, surely we'll have made up by then?" she asked, flashing a worried look at his face.

"Not necessarily," he said, more of the anger released from his face as he began to smile at the thought of his invention, "I've created a way that will let me achieve bankai in three days."


	13. Putting Inventions To The Test

"Erm Kisuke, what the hell is that?" Yoruichi asked as she stared at the peculiar object that Kisuke had walked into the room with. They had agreed to meet up for training as normal, now that things were on the mend between them , but when he had walked into her room this morning, her eyes had flitted straight to the white mannequin shaped thing in his hands.

"It's my new bankai trainer!" He said, smiling so widely that his teeth were showing. Yoruichi inhaled slightly; did Kisuke's smile always light up his face like this? If it had, she hadn't noticed until now.

Without any further prompting, Kisuke started to passionately explain about how he had developed this new invention and how it was going to work, he spoke animatedly, using his hands to illustrate the finer details of its structure. He always got so excited when he talked about his inventions, Yoruichi heard him mention something about gigai technology but to be honest, she wasn't really listening to his words. It didn't matter that she didn't understand what he was talking about, his emotions were clear on his face and she wanted to wrap herself up in his joy.

* * *

He was really excited about this new invention, if it worked then it would mean that he would have a bankai in about three days, having a bankai would surely earn him a pretty significant promotion! He might even become a fourth of fifth seat. Yoruichi was listening intently, she looked straight into his eyes when he talked, seeming interested in what he was saying; she continued to look at him even after he had finished explaining.

"So, why do you need me for this then Kisuke? It seems like you could just achieve bankai on your own without my help." Yoruichi asked curiously, she still spoke tentatively towards him even after he had forgiven her.

"Because I want you to be there with me Yoruichi, It wouldn't be the same training without you," he said, smiling. Kisuke grabbed the bankai device with one hand and took Yoruichi's hand in the other, "I know where we should go."

He could barely contain his excitement, inventing things was his favourite thing to do and whenever his inventions worked it gave him a feeling like nothing else. He was very aware of Yoruichi's hand on his, this would normally make a great sadness come over him but instead, he now felt nothing but hunger.

Before long they had arrived at the underground training area that had been their haven for so long when they were young, to Kisuke, there was nowhere else more appropriate for this occasion.

* * *

The underground training area was not somewhere that was new to Yoruichi but for some reason, being there felt entirely like a new experience for her. Things were different between them now and she was very aware that she was alone with Kisuke, away from everyone else in the world.

"Wow, I haven't been here in such a long time," she said, staring at the high ceilings, the rocky landscape and the healing pool in the centre of the cavern.

"I thought that it would be a good place to come, we're going to need a lot of space," Kisuke said, standing the dummy up in front of him. His expression suddenly turned serious, he grabbed onto Yoruichi's shoulders, making her look him in his eyes, their faces were so close that they were almost touching. "Now Yoruichi," he began, "this training isn't going to be easy, three constant days of intense fighting is going to take its toll on me…I could even die, but whatever you do Yoruichi, don't let me stop, not for anything."

"B-but why Kisuke!" she said horrified, "why would you do that, there must be a better way?"

"Yoruichi, I know what Yamada's death did to you," he watched her turn her head to the floor, remembering. He waited for her to look at him again before he continued, "I want to get stronger for you, Yoruichi, I don't want you to ever feel like that again."

* * *

Yoruichi stood there, speechless, to most people what Kisuke was doing for her would seem stupid, but to her it was possibly one of the sweetest and most touching things that had ever happened to her. He cared for her, he loved her and he knew her almost as well as she knew herself, and despite everything she knew in that moment that she loved him too.

Completely unaware of what was going on inside of her head, Kisuke said simply, "well, shall we get started then?"

_**This chapter was very short and it took me a long time to figure out how to get the emotions across. I know exactly what will happen in the next chapter so hold on because I shall be done with it soon.**_


	14. Tears

'How something so important can be going on in my head, while Kisuke stands so close, totally unaware, is unbelievable,' Yoruichi thought. She wouldn't tell him until after his bankai training though, he described this process as incredibly dangerous, so much so that it could even event in his death, this was why she couldn't tell him now, it would distract him from what he was about to do.

The strength of her feeling surprised her, but she chose to stay silent during the training preparation for fear of letting something slip out. She continued to stand silently as she watched Kisuke take a deep breath before drawing his Zanpakuto, Benihime; without warning he used it to stab the centre of the white dummy that he had brought with him. This caused some sort of reaction from the device which started to glow, dissolving Kisuke's sword as it continued to shine brighter and brighter. Underneath the strange glow, the mannequin appeared to change, growing taller and leaner, becoming more like a person in its shape.

"Yes! It worked Yoruichi!" Kisuke yelled, excited. This must be what was supposed to happen, Yoruichi thought.

"Erm, Kisuke? Who is that?" She said, pointing to the figure that stood where the impaled dummy had previously been. The man stood tall, his long green hair was slicked back into a ponytail on top of his head and he wore a simple flowing kimono that was patterned with sections of black and red. He also wore a thick gold necklace around his neck and had similar bands on his ankles and wrists. His feet were bare.

"This is my Zanpakuto spirit, Benihime," he replied simply, looking proudly at the man that stood before them. Yoruichi gasped, this was part of Kisuke's soul that she was seeing, it felt strangely intimate.

"S-so, what happens now?" Yoruichi stuttered, this was one of the rare moments where she had been rendered speechless, most of which seemed to revolve around Kisuke.

Kisuke looked into her eyes, and stated naturally, "and now we train,"

"With what-?" Yoruichi started to say, but before she could finish she took the opportunity to look away from Kisuke for the first time that day, only to see hundreds of variations of his sword protruding from the ground. There wasn't much need for him to answer after she realised this, instead, he turned his back to her and dislodged the sword nearest to him.

Almost immediately, Kisuke began fighting. Benihime had also picked up a nearby sword and was running towards Kisuke with a force that made it seem like he wasn't simply 'training'. The clatter of steel clashing together echoed throughout the training room, ringing in Yoruichi's ears. Kisuke was pushed back; dust flew up around him as his feet dragged across the floor.

Before he even had time to regain his balance, Benihime had already raised his sword in order to aim another strike at Kisuke; he barely managed to block the attack before the sword in his hand crumbled.

"Is that all you have got, master?" Benihime said ferociously, throwing away the sword that he had been using and picking up another one.

Kisuke stared down at the sword that had shattered in his hands; he numbly dropped the hilt to the ground and looked up at Benihime, terrified. Another blow had already been forced upon him and he barely had time to grab a nearby sword to stop himself from being beheaded. This sword, unlike the other, shattered immediately and Kisuke was thrown into the air and crashed into a large rock towering out from the training room floor. His battered body sunk to the floor and the only indication that he was conscious was the trembling of his limbs.

"Kisuke!" Yoruichi yelled, beginning to run to where Kisuke had fallen.

"No!" He yelled back, "I have to do this" He used the rock behind him to hoist himself back up to a standing position, he was a little unsteady on his legs at first, but continued to walk up to the next sword in the ground, ready to fight.

Things went on like this for a while, the clashing of swords filled up the room, there was little break from the constant, harsh battle for three days and the cacophony of metal upon metal gave Yoruichi a headache. Yoruichi stayed the whole time, barely sleeping, just waiting and watching as Kisuke's energy depleted along with the mysterious swords in the ground. Benihime, however, seemed to be completely at ease as he pushed his master to the brink of exhaustion.

It was on the third day that it happened. There were few swords left and Kisuke was panting heavily, every feeble swing of his sword seemed to have less and less effect.

**Kisuke's perspective. **

'Damn, this is not good,' he thought. He couldn't, no, he _wouldn't_ die like this, not in front of Yoruichi. His determination was shattering with every one of the broken swords, the sound of the diminished hilt hitting the floor knocked defeat into his resolve like a hammer, chipping away at his strength. Benihime easily kicked him in the stomach; winding him and making him crumple down on the floor in pain. As he was just about to give up, he heard a sound, a very quiet sound that was coming from the direction of Yoruichi. As he concentrated harder, he could hear the light sniffing of her nose and the small gasps she took as breaths, it was only a few moments later that he realised that this was the sound of Yoruichi crying. 'She was crying….for him?' he thought.

"No, this isn't right," he mumbled, reaching out and feeling the sharp edge of the sword closest to him. With a great deal of effort and pain, which probably showed upon his face, he slowly ascended from the ground to his knees, pausing slightly to catch his breath before he raised himself into a standing position. Doing his best to plant his feet firmly on the ground, he heaved the sword above his head and began to charge towards Benihime, putting all of his force into the swing that would hopefully end it all.

Delivering the final blow, Kisuke felt all of the energy drain out of his body, he collapsed but before he became completely unconscious, he watched as Benihime himself shattered. All that was left of him was his sword, lying there on the floor.

**Yoruichi's perspective.**

_I don't know if you've ever seen someone's life drain from their face before, but I can tell you now that it is the worst possible experience you could ever have._

She didn't even begin to think when she ran over to Kisuke, she didn't notice Benihime disappear, she didn't notice the fatigue in her muscles or the lump in her throat caused by the tears, she just noticed the crumpled shell of the man that she loved lying on the floor, waiting for her to heal him. Frantically, she started to pick Kisuke up in her arms, carrying him on her back to the healing springs that were located at the centre of the giant training ground arena. She stumbled and fell a few times on the way but soon enough she arrived at the pool which she carefully placed Kisuke into. His back rested against the side of the pool, his arms hung around the rim of the spring and his head lolling back from his neck. During the fight, his clothes had been ripped and his chest was exposed, she could see the numerous lacerations that Benihime had made on his skin, she watched as these closed up almost immediately after he touched the water, but despite this, his eyes remained closed.

She knelt beside the springs, holding her breath as she waited for him to look at her with those deep brown eyes of his, when this moment failed to appear, she grew desperate. She jumped into the pool fully clothed; crying as she splashed water over Kisuke's face, opening his mouth and making him drink the heeling liquid.

"No, NO! DON'T YOU DARE DIE ON ME KISUKE URAHARA," She screamed, "NOT AFTER ALL WE'VE BEEN THROUGH…not before I got to tell you that-that I love you." Her tears slid down her nose and dripped onto his face, which remained lifeless.

Sobbing deeply, she flung herself onto his lifeless body, not caring that her clothes were wet and growing increasingly uncomfortable. She sobbed onto his chest and, looking up to see his lips still parted from when she'd made him drink the spring's water, quickly moved up his body and crushed her mouth desperately onto his. She continued to weep on top of his mouth, clutching at the little clothes that were still draped around his shoulders

She didn't know how long she stayed like that but it almost didn't seem real to her when she felt a pair of hands, Kisuke's hands, circle around her back as he slowly regained consciousness. Yoruichi gasped and broke the kiss, looking into his now fully opened eyes and felt like a great weight had been lifted from her chest, she hadn't realised how stifling her grief had been up until now.

"Kisuke," she breathed, their lips barely touching. She caught her breath as she felt Kisuke return her kiss, his lips pressing hardly against hers. Before long, their kiss deepened, Kisuke moved his lips slowly and purposefully against hers, tangling his fingers in her hair and kissing down her neck. Yoruichi drowned in the sea of her feelings, being completely absorbed by him, it was only when the kiss deepened further that she struggled to regain normal thought patterns and think rationally.

"Erm, maybe we shouldn't do_ that _until you're past the brink of dying?" She said laughing, trying to lighten the mood.

Instead of laughing back, Kisuke said instead, "Was it real this time?" When she just sat there looking confused, he continued, "your kiss?"

She looked hurt but touched his lips instead, saying, "of course it was, how could I kiss someone like that and not mean it?"

Seeming satisfied with this explanation, Kisuke continued to sit in the hot springs, slowly caressing the dark skin of Yoruichi's face, tracing the trail her tears had made down her cheek.

"I'm sorry," he paused, "I'm sorry I made you cry, I promise it'll never happen again."

She sniffed, making sure the remnants of her tears were gone, "It's ok, as long as you're ok. But Kisuke, you can't try that again, there are other ways for you to gain bankai. This way just isn't worth it."

"What are you talking about? I already achieved bankai," he said, giving a weak smile. Although his words seemed like he was joking, it was true that Yoruichi could sense that his spiritual pressure, although weak at the moment, had changed into something darker and heavier than before. She pulled back slightly, shocked.

"I promised I'd never make you feel like you needed to protect me ever again, didn't I?"

She laughed, despite all that had happened in the past few hours and said, "Well, third seat Urahara, I suppose a promotion in in order."

_**This chapter took a long time because I wanted to get it perfect. In my opinion it is the most important chapter of the fic…well except for the end but no spoilers!I am reporting that I am on semi-hiatus from fanfiction, simply because I have now started college and will have a lot of work to do. Saying that now, I'll probably suddenly have time to write and confuse you all. **_


	15. As I lay besides you

**140 years ago.**

Yoruichi had been Captain of the Stealth Force for a long time and she had been a soul reaper for even longer than that. For most of this time she had been assigned to the room that she now lay in, to her it was almost as familiar as the rhythm of her own feet beating against the ground as she ran. She had woken up here one thousand times, had experienced one thousand different mornings of one thousand different days but this morning was the best of all those thousands, she thought.

Rolling over, she had to shut her eyes against the bright early morning sunshine that shone through the paper walls and cast a warm yellow glow onto the floor. She began to get up for the day, for the moment forgetting what had happened the day before; Yoruichi sat up fully and stretched her arms above her head to rid the tension that had built up in her limbs as she slept. Just then, she took note that the bed covers had moved slightly behind her and thinking there was an intruder, she spun around.

It wasn't like her to forget something so important, but after being in such a deep sleep she had completely forgotten that Kisuke was lying beside her, sleeping. After his bankai training had come to an end, he had been injured greatly and of course the first thing that she had done was hoist him up onto her back and bring him to the Squad 4 barracks for immediate healing. Captain Unohana had tended to Kisuke herself due to the extent of his injuries, she had also volunteered because it was in the middle of the night and she hadn't wanted to wake up any of her Squad members. After his wounds had been cleaned and bandaged, Unohana had said that the only thing that Yoruichi could do now was stay by his side while his depleted spiritual pressure returned to normal.

Yoruichi felt strange talking about Kisuke with other people, after her confession of love to him it seemed to her like everyone could tell that something had changed between them. When Unohana talked to her about Kisuke, it seemed that her smile lingered a little longer than was normal; at the time Yoruichi had thought nothing of it, shrugging it of as her being paranoid. She began to think otherwise however, as Captain Unohana had helped her carry Kisuke not to his own room, but to Yoruichi's.

Kisuke had passed out soon after his bankai training was over so when she had laid him down onto bed that night, nothing had happened between them, she had been content just to lay there beside him or hours listening to his heart beating in his chest.

Noticing that she had woken up on the far side of the bed from Kisuke, she concluded that she must have rolled away during the night. Looking at him now she could see that his face was a mask of pain, almost entirely the same expression as last night; she could also tell from her position across the room that his breathing was shallow and ragged, as if he were having a nightmare.

Being careful not to wake him, she used flash step and was immediately in his arms again, his hair moving in the breeze that her flash step had stirred up in the air. Folding herself carefully into his arms, she heard his breathing slowly begin to deepen, as if he were sighing in relief. She smiled and closed her eyes, falling back asleep.

_**Oh my gosh I'm such a bad author! I don't give you a chapter in weeks and only give you a half chapter. All I can say is I'm sorry **____** I hope to start chapter 16 very soon and then chapter 17 should come easily. Thanks for all the support and keep reading :P x**_


	16. Public

_She smiled and closed her eyes, falling back asleep._

A little while later, she awoke again from sleep still folded in Kisuke's arms, but instead of turning over to find him sleeping comfortably, she saw him staring down at her from his position on the bed, fully awake.

"What are you looking at?" She said, smiling widely as she saw his eyes light up when he noticed that she was also awake.

"Why nothing Captain, I was simply watching over you to make sure no bad guys slipped into your room while you were sleeping," he chuckled and she grabbed a pillow from behind her head to cover up the blush that now crept into her cheeks.

"Kisuke!" she said, her voice muffled by the pillow. He rolled over so he was hovering on top of her and tickled her sides so she writhed around and lost grip of the pillow. She gasped, feeling her sides tense up from being touched, and giggled before softly pushing him back down onto his side of the bed.

"No funny business, you still aren't fully recovered,' she gestured to his many bandages and plasters.

"Fine then," he pouted, "but I'm starving, can we at least go and get some breakfast together?"

Throughout this entire encounter, Yoruichi had been inwardly holding her breath, after the way she had treated him in the past, she was worried that Kisuke would not accept her love, no matter how clearly she announced it. His behaviour at this moment in time resembled how they used to act around one another, before things had got so complicated; she was glad for that and after two years of unwanted tension in their relationship, she felt that she could let go of that inward breath and relax again.

Choosing to indulge Kisuke in his request, Yoruichi quickly got up and got dressed before helping him up from his position on the floor. He still had trouble walking so she motioned for him to put his arm around her shoulders, which would help him hobble to the communal eating area.

When she slid open the door they were both greeted with a bombardment of stares from the people passing by in the hall in front of Yoruichi's room, they had slept in late so most people were now awake. She knew what they all were thinking; Kisuke had spent the night in her room and that could only mean one thing to them…they weren't seeing Kisuke's wounds right now, they were seeing their relationship.

It took them a long time to reach the dining hall; Kisuke had to take small steps to avoid re-opening his wounds, and as was expected, they both received curious looks on their way there. Yoruichi did her best to ignore them but a blush managed to show itself upon her cheeks again.

**Kisuke's perspective.**

This is too good to be true, Kisuke thought. Not only had he achieved his bankai, despite being badly injured in the process, but Yoruichi had returned his love! At first he wasn't entirely sure that her kiss in the healing pool was genuine but he had awoken in her room this morning and the blush on her cheeks as he looked down upon her now were enough to make him believe otherwise. Sure, he was beaten up, could barely walk and was having trouble breathing, but he was happier than he had been in a long time.

Once they reached the dining area, Yoruichi directed him to her usual seat on the far table, she carefully lowered him down onto the seat, he thought that he should tell her that he was alright now but the feel of her hands on his skin was just too good to let go off. They ate their breakfast that day talking and laughing, just like the good old days and it made Kisuke relax instantly, he felt that everything was going right with his life.

**Later that day. Squad members perspective.**

"Hey, is that Yoruichi and Kisuke over there?" the woman walking next to him said, pointing to the cherry blossom garden that was located next to the walkway.

"Yeh, you know, I've seen them everywhere today, they were together at breakfast, they trained the new troops together, they were even seen walking out of the Captain's room this morning, together," he said, slowing his walk so he could look over at the people in question. The sound of their laughter drifted up to their position on the walkway. He could clearly see that the two were now sat very close together, each looking at one another's face while holding hands.

"I think it's nice," the woman cooed, "We've all known that 8th seat Urahara has been in love with the Squad Captain for years," She looked down at the floor, a sad expression crossing her face as if she were disappointed that the Captain had returned Urahara's love.

"So I guess your Urahara fan club will be disbanding now?" he joked, and was surprised when she suddenly looked up, with a look in her eyes that could easily kill a man.

"No way, just because she has him for now doesn't mean that we will give up," she punched the air with her fist.

"I don't think that's going to happen, I mean, look at them," he gestured to the couple again, "they're obviously in love."

"I know" she looked down sadly, "well, let's get back to our duties, this is just depressing me."

**Kisuke's perspective.**

"I'm flattered Captain," he said formally, smirking to show that he was joking, "A lowly 8th seat like me does not deserve your love."

"Ah, but you aren't an 8th seat anymore are you?" she looked over at him mischievously and he could tell that the shock he felt registered on his face.

"W-what? Have I received a promotion or something!? Am I a 6th seat now? Oooh, or maybe a 5th seat!?" His excitement made her laugh loudly, but instead of answering him, she looked at the sun in order to tell the time and then grabbed his hand before saying,

"You'll just have to find out now won't you?" She then proceeded to drag him, albeit a little gently, to the main room in the Squad 2 barracks. He was very curious at this point and when she opened the door to reveal a room full of top officers in the Stealth Force, his curiosity grew even still.

"Kneel down Kisuke," Yoruichi said before lightly pushing him on the shoulder so he would do as she asked. He still had no clue what was going on until Yoruichi started talking again,

"Kisuke Urahara, I promote you to the 3rd Seat of Squad 2 and to Corps Commander of the Detention Unit of the Stealth Force due to the unwitting bravery and skill it took to achieve your bankai, well done," she grinned at him and offered him a hand up. Everyone around them cheered and as Kisuke passed, some even bowed to him due to his newly appointed rank.

He didn't say much for the rest of the event, a few words of congratulations were exchanged but for the most part he stayed by Yoruichi's side as she socialised. The whole thing passed in a blur, he didn't even know how he had ended up with the drink in his hands that was still full. At the end of the party, Yoruichi and himself had to wait for everyone else to depart before they could leave for the evening.

The room was now empty apart from the two of them and Yoruichi turned to him, looking relieved that it was over,

"So, are you ready to go back to my room? You still haven't healed properly so I need to look after you." She smiled a little too much at this and Kisuke began to think that she liked him sleeping with her.

"Not to be rude, but could we go back to my room, just this once? I really want to make some more progress with my newest invention," He asked, suddenly eager to continue his work.

"Sure," she replied, "just let me get a few things and I'll be right over."

**Yoruichi's perspective. **

She was late making it back to Kisuke's room, she knew that immediately when she emerged from inside and saw that the sky was now very dark. Yoruichi had been held up talking to Soifon, one of the promising new troops that had joined the Squad about half a year ago, she had just returned from her sixth mission and her last living sibling had been taken out by a hollow, this fact alone was enough for her to stay with Soifon and offer some sort of comfort.

She rushed to her room to grab her things and made it to Kisuke's room quickly, she knocked lightly before sheepishly entering the room.

"I'm so sorry Kisuke! Something came up to do with the Squad that I couldn't get out of, I came here as fast as I could!"

Kisuke looked up from the work that he was doing and smiled, almost instantaneously getting up to retrieve her bags,

"It's ok, I got so lost in my work I forgot the time. Get your sleeping gown on, I was thinking we could watch a play that I recorded the other day, it's really good!"*

She couldn't help but smile at Kisuke; he was so eager and nervous around her and as she began to get changed, she realised that she too was nervous. That night they lay beside each other again and waited for Kisuke's wounds to heal, it was bliss.

*I mentioned them watching a 'DVD' in an earlier chapter, what I forgot to mention is that Kisuke invented a function on hell butterflies in which they can record sound and audio. They are generally used to record plays and other arts which can be watched back and used for entertainment.


	17. Special Plans

**I can't even remember how long it's been since I last sat down and wrote this thing, which is generally a really bad sign. I don't really know what to say, I guess I just wasn't in the right state of mind to write for such a long time, I didn't have any reason to write and I'm really sorry if you've been kept waiting :( I won't promise that I will write more frequently from now on because I don't have a lot of inspiration right now. Hopefully this new chapter shall kick start this story again because I do know where I want to go with it, it's just this middle bit that is tricky. If you have any ideas feel free to message me ;) **

**- Kidzuku**

**139 Years Ago**

_She breathed heavily, the weight of what was about to happen ever present in her mind. His warm body was just inches from hers; she took a deep breath, closed her eyes and kissed him…_

**Kisuke's Perspective**

It had been a month or so since he had been injured from his bankai training but thanks to Squad 4's extraordinary healers, injuries which should have taken months to heal had only taken weeks. He stretched his arms out, feeling the soft grass brush his bare skin, the mild spring sun warmed his up tilted face, it was so peaceful. It was only the night before that Captain Unohana has pronounced him fully recovered and he'd felt so relieved that he'd wanted to kiss her right then and there. He hasn't, of course.

The rehabilitation had been painful, there's only so much healing you can do with kido and so he'd had to do special exercises every day and to say they hurt would be an understatement. He'd gone to the sessions every morning though, it was important that he stayed strong so he could fulfil his duties as 3rd seat and of course, he didn't want anyone to get hurt defending him.

For him, it felt like fate that this would happen now, it was white day and it is traditional for the man to prepare something for the woman and ever since he and Yoruichi had become a true couple, he'd been injured so the most he could ever do was hold her hand or kiss her briefly. He'd had plans in his mind for a long time now and now that he was finally able to carry them out, he felt incredibly nervous.

'Okay Kisuke,' he said to himself, 'everything is going to be fine, just say it how you planned to.' Somewhat reluctantly, he got up from his place in the field, just outside of Squad 6's grounds, and began to walk to Squad 2's captain's room. The whole way there he rehearsed what he would say and he was so into it that he didn't realise at first that he had already arrived at his destination, Soi Fon greeting him snapped him into the present.

'3rd Seat Urahara,' she said, her voice monotone as it always was when she spoke to him. He looked up startled and said,

'Ah Soi Fon, is a Your- erm, Captain Shihoin in?'

Instead of answering, she simply slid open the bamboo door in order to let him inside, the light in the middle of the room clearly illuminating Yoruichi as she sat in the middle of the room on a floor cushion, meditating. She slid one eye open as she heard him enter and immediately smile, she'd probably sensed his spiritual pressure miles away but she still looked surprised and happy that he was there. He was still nervous but thought to himself 'No, those skittish days are behind me, I'm 3rd Seat now and I need to behave like one.'

'Come to Yui's Hot Springs at 7 o'clock tonight, I'll be expecting you. Oh, and wear something…nice,' he smiled as he quickly exited the room, pleased at how it had went. He hadn't given her any time to protest or ask questions and to avoid her catching up to him, he began sprinting as soon as he left the room and continued running straight to the hot springs so he could prepare for tonight.

**Yoruichi's Perspective **

'Well that was kind of odd,' she thought to herself as she rose from her meditation, she'd already lost her thought process from the meditation so she decided it was about time for her to get on with the tasks for the day. Kisuke had left fast; she could still feel the remnants of his spiritual pressure in the room even though his actual presence was already miles away, it made her wonder what he was planning but she didn't worry too much, she trusted him with all her heart.

The actual day itself was uneventful, everything within the stealth force was running smoothly, no new incidents of strange happenings in the Roukongai had appeared in months and with Soi Fon now in her personal guard, things seemed to be working like a well-oiled machine with little input from herself to make that happen. She wasn't normally affected by anything but with nothing to distract her in the day, her mind often slipped into a daydream, wondering what was in store for her tonight and she was surprised when she actually felt a little nervous which was extremely abnormal.

When her duties had ended for the day, she returned to her bedroom to get ready. It was surprisingly hard for her to find something to wear, she had plenty of dresses but even after she'd tried on every single one she was still sat in the middle of her room in her bath robe wondering why there was nothing to wear.

'Okay, I'll just do my hair and makeup and decide later,' she resolved, going into the bathroom to get washed up. When she finally came back into her room she'd planned what she would wear already in her head and with determined steps she walked up to the red dress that was slung over a chair in the corner and tugged it over her head. Quickly going into her wardrobe and slipping on some black shoes, a black silk belt and an midnight black sequined purse, she finished getting dressed within a minute of her entering the room and just as quickly she exited, already on her way to the specified location.

She figured that if she got dressed quickly then there was no time to turn back and change her outfit again and she was right, rushing out had meant that she was back on schedule and would get to the hot springs on time and it also meant that she couldn't change her clothes, even if she had wanted to. She tugged on her bikini strap underneath her dress; she'd worn an all-black skimpy number as she'd assumed that they would be going inside the hot springs considering the location.

Once she'd arrived at Yui's Hot Springs she made her way into the central building that was used as a reception and giving in Kisuke's name, she was directed to one of the private log cabins located along the garden path towards the back of the resort. The room number that she had been given was the only cabin that emitted a soft yellow glow that seeped from underneath the door frame, the rest of the rooms on the row were dark and silent.

Yoruichi placed her palm on the authentic bamboo door, paused to take in a long, steadying breath, and without turning back lightly pushes open the door…


	18. Sparks

**Yoruichi's Perspective**

_Yoruichi placed her palm on the authentic bamboo door, paused to take in a long, steadying breath, and without turning back lightly pushes open the door…_

She didn't know what she was expecting, but it certainly wasn't what was before her right now. The entirety of the small room was covered with red rose petals and lit candles, the rose petals making a floral pathway to the small table that stood independently in the middle of the room, snaking around it in a halo of crimson before leading out the door. Every ledge, nook and cranny within the room was heaving with the long white candles, each a different size and shape but all had a large flickering flame which seemed to unite them all and tie up the room. The table itself was draped with a white tablecloth; two wooden chairs painted black were tucked snugly underneath the table, upon which were two dishes opposite one another covered in a silver metal half spheres, presumable to keep the food underneath warm. Two wine glasses waited beside the food, already filled with the dark red wine that matched perfectly with the rose red carpet, inviting her in.

It was only when she took all of this in that she saw the man standing beside the table, a wary look in his eyes. Kisuke wore a well fitted black suit and white shirt, his tie was skinny and black and his hair was combed back, not a trace of its usual wildness remained; she knew it must have taken him at least an hour to perfect. His hand rested upon the chair closest to her and he tentatively pulled it out, ushering with his other hand for her to sit down as he waited to see her reaction. Yoruichi was still frozen in the doorway but as soon as she locked eyes with his she melted and sat down in the chair as he'd suggested.

They didn't dare to touch one another, the atmosphere in the air was heavy and they both knew that if they came into contact now then their dinner would surely be spoilt.

**Kisuke's Perspective**

Kisuke silently sat in the opposite seat to Yoruichi, satisfied that she approved of the setting before her. He had been so nervous the whole time getting ready for tonight, he wasn't sure if his idea had been too clichéd for Yoruichi's taste, or if he'd gotten some things wrong but his tension was released when he saw the sparkle in her eyes when she'd walked in. His earlier tension had now been replaced by another sort of tension but this one was far more favourable.

'Hi,' she breathed, breaking the comfortable silence that had descended.

'Hi,' he replied in turn, taking a sip of his wine.

'How long did it take you to do all of this?' she asked, looking around the room in amazement. He had been shocked when she'd walked in, her red dress with black accessories had matched the tone of the room perfectly that he was almost sure that she'd somehow known exactly what he'd been planning.

'It doesn't matter,' Kisuke said, smiling and taking her hand from across the table, 'the important thing is that you like it?' He almost asked this as a question, still not being able to gage her thoughts and feelings.

'I love it Kisuke, thank you so much,' she replied earnestly, squeezing his hand affectionately.

After that they ate their meal, which consisted of yakisoba noodles and some sort of meat gyoza that the woman in the kitchen had prepared for them, it was a simple meal but tasty none the less and it wasn't long before the entire bottle of wine had been consumed as well. They chatted about how their day had been, their work, their families, anything else besides the situation that was at hand. Both of them knew what tonight was and were trying to prolong the quiet anticipation that they both shared for as long as possible, but when the meal ended this blissful ignorance also came to an end.

Kisuke cleared his throat, 'Would you like to go into the hot springs with me?' he asked cautiously, incredibly nervous.

'I-I would, yes,' she replied, standing up from the table and walking towards him, 'could you help me out of my dress?' she asked, turning her back to him so he could unzip the red dress.

He untied the black belt that hung low on her waist first, letting the fabric fall to the floor before working his fingers up her back to the zipper that slid down effortlessly, revealing the smooth chocolate skin of her back.

**Yoruichi's perspective**

Feeling that her dress had been undone, she gently shrugged her shoulders and the dress fell to the floor, revealing her black bikini that was all she was wearing underneath. She turned to face him, enjoying how his eyes leisurely looked her up and down, she could see him visibly swallow and attempt to steady himself, and she liked how she had that effect on him. To make things easier for him, she approached him and began to undo his tie, following her lead he shrugged out of his jacket and shirt easily, he was far slower in the removal of his pants, slowly unbuttoning them and shyly inching them down to reveal some simple black swimming trunks that matched what she was wearing.

They stood beside one another, she felt his hand fall naturally into hers and grasping it tightly, they both followed the rose petal pathway outside to the hot spring bath that filled the atmosphere with sweet steam, the night had descended and the outside was lit up by the faint glow from the candles that were dotted around the natural rock that surrounded the intimate pool. Their footsteps fell into sync with one another as they descended the stairs, Yoruichi slipped into the pool expertly, submerging her body in the scented water as she waited for Kisuke to do the same. He joined her in the water soon after, the pool was of a small size and so as to fit both of them in comfortably their knees had to intertwine.

The mood became very serious as soon as their wet skin touched one another, Kisuke's slicked back hair had returned to its natural wild state due to the steam and his eyes had become incredibly intense.

'I love you Yoruichi,' he whispered, leaning forward to rest his forehead on hers.

'I-I love you too,' she replied, her lips naturally coming into contact with his as they broke into a slow kiss.

Their lips worked together slowly, softly pressing together before it sunk into something more serious. Yoruichi moved it onto the next level by opening her mouth slightly; firming up the pressure she was giving which was met by his resistance giving, letting her take control for a while. She sat up slightly, rapping her legs around his waist while sliding her hands up to his hair, twining her fingers there before kissing him hungrily.

They separated from each other momentarily, during which time Kisuke allowed his hands to snake around her waist while his mouth trailed a line of kisses down her neck, ending at her collarbone before making their way back up to her mouth. The hot water mixed with the passion radiating from their kisses had caused their skin to become dewy with sweat; Kisuke began the kiss again, this time teasing her lips open with this tongue, after a few heated minutes of this type of kiss, Kisuke rolled himself on top of Yoruichi, letting the length of his body rest against hers.

She could tell things were getting more serious now, the way he looked into her eyes let her know that something amazing was about to happen. His hands slowly drifted down her body, his thumbs hooking into her bikini bottoms, teasing them down below her hip bones before pulling them off entirely. She was at her most vulnerable but at this point all of her inhabitations had melted away and she was sure that she was ready for what came next.

**Kisuke's Perspective**

Yoruichi reached up to undo her own bikini top before she took off his swimming shorts, running her hands across his naked skin. Both of them were entirely naked now and the water and their touch suddenly felt different, every nerve was on fire as their burning kisses continued, carrying far more weight that they had ever done before. His hips began to move against hers, he was met by her small, eager movements, slowly grinding together tantalisingly, teasing him.

Her hands traced patterns across his back, igniting his senses and causing him to lose all self-control; he cupped her full breasts in his hands, using his thumbs to stimulate her silky soft nipples, making them stiffen underneath his touch before he finally worked his way down to her hips. His hands roughly grabbed her hips, pulling her towards him; he was no longer being gentle with her as he teased her, causing her to squirm underneath his touch. With one crucial push, he was moving inside of her, exciting his senses to the point that he forgot where he was, forgot his life, he even forgot his name just feeling the sensations that were coming alive inside of him because this was Yoruichi, his best friend, the one he loved and it was finally happening.

The night continued like this, it was not long before they'd got up and moved, still tangled together, into the bedroom that was mere seconds away from the outside area. They fell onto the white futon that had been set up, continuing to make love to one another until they finally collapsed together in ecstasy, falling asleep without another word as they drifted off in complete bliss.

**Yoruichi's Perspective **

It had happened. Everything had been a blur of passion and heavy breathing and whispers of 'I love you' as well as each other's names and when it was over the feeling she had was indescribable. She couldn't remember a time when she'd ever felt happier or more loved or as completely and utterly content as she did right now. She fell asleep feeling that no matter what happened, as long as they had each other, everything would somehow be alright.

**Since I was on a roll today you guys get two chapters today! I knooow I didn't write the 'specifics' during the 'act' but I just felt like it wasn't appropriate to do so. Omg I was so nervous writing this chapter, it normally takes me like an hour to write one chapter and it took me three hours to write this one. I feel tempted to reread it and change loads again but you know what, I'm just gonna post it. Oh goddd I hope it's okay D:**


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